AN: I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter. Writing this week has been kind of difficult, and I hope that isn't reflected in this chapter. My apologies if it is. I want to thank everyone who has followed or favourited this story, and I would like to say big thanks to silverheartlugia2000, Imagination that, meladi1, SunnyStormCloud, NoSignalBlueScreen, ScarlettAlexandra, Twilight16, Blaaargy and The Reader for your reviews!
To Twilight16: I totally agree about the cliffhangers, their effect can really vary! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm sorry for the delay.
To Blaaargy: Apologies for the wait! It makes me happy to know you want to read the next chapter so badly.
To The Reader: Thank you for more lovely words, I hope I manage to meet your expectations about the "big reveal"! There might be a few small reveals in this chapter, perhaps?
Now, onwards. I hope you enjoy it, here's chapter four.

Four:

'Link…?' Zelda did not know what to say. She had been expecting to find a wolf in her chambers, not a young man smiling softly at her. He made no sound, simply widening his smile apologetically as he took a half step towards her.

'What changed?' Zelda managed to ask after a moment, shaking herself from her shocked stupor and crossing the room quickly to stand before him. As she came to a halt she realised he was taller than her, which felt somewhat strange considering she had grown so used to his not reaching above her waist. Quietly awaiting an answer she stared up at his surprisingly gaunt face, studying him in silence. It had not shown as clearly as a wolf but as a human he was horribly thin, his skin a sickly greyish colour, the shadows beneath his eyes much too dark. He looked absolutely exhausted, yet still his back was straight and strong.

They stared at each other for what felt a little like an eternity before he suddenly sighed quietly, eyes dropping away from hers as he shrugged a shoulder apathetically. Feeling her brow drop into a frown Zelda reached out instinctively, grasping his chin lightly and forcing his head back to face hers.

For a split second they were both still before Link blinked, expression turning vaguely surprised as Zelda yanked her hand away again. She had grown so used to his avoiding eye contact that she had acted impulsively, completely out of habit, but there was something very different about doing such a thing when he was human. It seemed almost uncomfortably intimate, his chin with its dusting of stubble about as dissimilar as it could possibly be to his previous fur. In fact the difference seemed so great it was almost disconcerting.

This was going to take some adjusting to.

'What changed?' Gazing up into his fierce blue eyes she repeated her question, clasping her hand to her chest as she again waited for an answer. His eyes, she noticed, appeared to be one of the few things left unchanged. They were as fiercely clear as ever, if slightly different in shape to his wolf eyes.

After a moment he opened his mouth before he paused, frowning slightly, and then shrugged again. Zelda stared at him for a second or two before rolling her eyes obviously. If he did not wish to tell her then she would not push him, but she had to admit that his taciturn attitude was beginning to bother her just a little. She just wanted to help, did he have to keep her at such a distance?

Inspecting him again Zelda could not help the frown that tugged at her face. He looked so tired, as if he could collapse at any moment. Somehow she doubted he would, but still his appearance worried her.

'You look exhausted,' she said to break the brief silence they quickly fell into. There was no point in beating around the bush, after all, and it was not as if they could stand there shuffling their feet awkwardly forever. 'Let me prepare a room for you.' She had no intention of letting him leave now that he was human again, especially as he was still injured, but somehow she felt she could not condone allowing him to continue staying in the same room as her.

It was strange how much had changed simply because he had reverted to his human form. Everything seemed to have become much more complicated, though she imagined it was even worse for Link. He had been a wolf for months, suddenly being a human again could not be easy.

Those issues could wait, however, in favour of him getting some rest. The sight of him made anxiety twist in her chest, though she did her best to set it aside in order to better sort out the sudden situation they were in.

'Come, please,' she said, gesturing towards the door. 'You look dead on your feet.' Link gave a soft huff of laughter, flashing her another sheepish smile before complying. He looked a little unsteady as he made to move past her, placing each foot with care until he suddenly stopped and backtracked, passing her to move to the bed. Following him with her eyes Zelda watched as he gingerly picked up the Master Sword, which was lying unsheathed atop the sheets. The soft rasp of steel scraping leather filled the quiet, before Link was before her again with the sword outstretched.

'Thank you,' he said softly, slowly as if savouring the words. It was strange hearing him speak again, though it must have been a hundred times stranger for him.

'For what?' Zelda asked, but he just smiled and turned away again. He returned to stand in front of her a moment later, this time with a strange shard of some unknown material that pulsed black and orange nestled in the palm of his hand on a bed of material.

'What is it?' Peering at it with interest Zelda glanced up at Link, recognising the patterns decorating it as those of the Twili but unsure of what exactly it was.

'Temptation,' Link said quietly after a moment, stretching his hand out further. 'It causes the transformation.' Processing this Zelda made a soft noise of realisation. He was handing her the key to his wolf form so as not to allow himself to change back? Did this mean he was trying to face whatever it was he had been running from in the first place?

'I will keep it safe,' Zelda said, trying to assure him that it would be still there within his reach, should he truly desire it. She got a sad smile in response as she plucked it gingerly from his hand, thankful for her habit of wearing gloves all the time. She did not particularly want her bare skin to come into contact with it.

Clasping the Master Sword to her chest as she curled her fingers around the strange shard Zelda turned away before the emotions suddenly building inside her could come to light, taking a steadying breath as she moved to the door. She set down the sword and shard on top of a chest of drawers as she passed them before pulling one of the doors open a little further.

'This way,' she said, turning back to Link who followed readily, with each step looking a little more comfortable with once more being up on two feet. She led him down the spiral steps to the nearest guest room, finding herself oddly opposed to having him too far away. If she were being honest, it would probably have been easier for everyone had she just cast aside "good conduct" and had him stay in her room with her. It would have been easy enough to do, as well.

But still, she was a stickler for the rules, and she cursed herself silently for it as she opened the room's windows to allow in some of the late summer air, hearing wood creak slightly as Link sat on the edge of the bed. When she turned she found him perching gingerly, hands clasped tightly in his lap as he looked around, observing the room. For all her worries about his obvious exhaustion he seemed remarkably alert as his eyes darted around swiftly, leaving no point of the room unstudied. He seemed anxious, and Zelda's heart went out to him. This could be in no way easy for him. If nothing else, though, his courage was impressive, even if she had already been aware of its vastness.

'May I see your wound?' Zelda asked as she moved to stand before him. She wanted to make sure the transformation had not affected it in any way, and she did not wish to leave just yet. Perhaps worrying about him was fruitless, but she did nonetheless. Link stared at her for a moment before carefully hitching up the familiar green tunic to bare his side, along which the injury was painted in deep red. Somehow it looked worse in contrast to his pale human skin, but as she bent closer to inspect it she could see it was not the case.

'Does it hurt?' Zelda asked, reaching out to gently touch her fingertips to her hasty stitches as she clamped down on the instinctive sense of embarrassment that spread warmth across her cheeks. The tunic shifted as Link gave yet another apathetic shrug, though when she glanced up at him she could see the tinge of pink colouring his gaunt cheeks. Smiling slightly at both herself and him Zelda straightened, smoothing her skirts in an attempt to relieve some of the sudden restless energy filling her.

'The stitches will need to be removed soon,' she said, clearing her throat slightly as she spoke. Link nodded, letting his tunic drop as he refused to meet her eye. 'I will leave you to settle,' she said after another moment, waiting for him to look at her before crossing to the door. She did not wish to let the awkward feel of the silence fester any further.

'Link-' At the door she halted, looking back over her shoulder as she said his name impulsively. He looked up, a question in his eyes, but Zelda did not have the courage to ask the questions dancing on the tip of her tongue. Why he had changed back, how he was feeling, why he had retreated to his wolf form in the first place, why he had killed one of her soldiers. Looking at his hunched shoulders, at the tightly entwined hands, Zelda simply could not bring herself to ask.

'-Please feel free to wander as you like. I will ask for a meal to be prepared for you later,' she said instead, cursing herself internally as Link offered her a small smile and she bid him farewell. She would have thought that by now she would feel able to ask the questions plaguing her, but if she was being honest she felt almost scared of the answers she would receive. If he answered them would he leave? He had no reason to stay, and she feared that one day she would once more find him gone without a trace.

But there was little she could do about it, so she told herself she would not think about it. She would focus simply on helping him recover and on her duties as princess.

Keeping this in mind she kept herself distracted until later that evening, having a meal prepared as promised. Wishing to see Link again before she retired for the night she took the meal to him herself, knocking lightly on the door before entering.

'Link?' She looked into the room carefully, as she had had no reply upon knocking and was therefore unsure what to expect, to find him curled up atop the bed. She could not see his face as he was lying with his back to her, but not wishing to disturb him if he were sleeping she made to exit again, only for him to stir suddenly. Half through the door Zelda paused, watching him intently.

'Link?' She said his name again, this time getting a response as he sat up, turning to look at her over his shoulder. 'I brought food,' she said by way of explanation, lifting the plate for him to see. She took the slight smile for assent, moving into the room to set the plate down at the small table.

'Thank you,' he said softly after a moment, rising to his feet and wandering over to the table.

'You are welcome,' Zelda replied equally softly. 'How are you finding the room?'

'Spacious,' Link replied dryly, sliding carefully into one of the chairs before pausing to look at her. 'Would you…' He gestured lamely to one of the other chairs, and they stared at one another in silence before Zelda sighed internally. She did not want to leave, but she had unearthed several documents she needed to look over before the evening ended and foresaw it taking quite some time. When she told Link as much he excused her graciously, though it felt strange to leave him behind in solitude after they had spent so much time in one another's presence over the last week or so.

When she looked back briefly she found him staring intently at the cutlery, twirling it carefully with nimble fingers, and she was smiling slightly when she left.

The next day she accepted his offer to dine with him after a day that passed fairly uneventfully. Discussions with the Goron and Zora leaders were going well, though they were somewhat time-consuming, while she was also conducting consultations with a whole number of her advisers. It made very boring conversation, though when she asked after what Link had done she discovered he had very little to report as well. She was well aware that he was not a talkative young man, but he had not struck her as particularly unsociable either. However upon learning that he had, for all intents and purposes, not left the room she had prepared for him at all that day she had to wonder. She was becoming aware of how little she really knew about him, too, as it was one thing to get to know a wolf, but getting to know a person felt like a much greater challenge.

Nevertheless their quiet meal was pleasant, the frequent silences a comfortable change to the bustle of the castle by day. It seemed to come to an end much too soon; before she knew it Zelda was once again bidding him goodnight as she retired to her chambers, praying that he would still be there when she returned the next morning.

She did not, however have to wait that long to check on him, as that night she was once again abruptly awoken. While she was now used to being jolted awake by nightmares it was always by her own screams, not those of anyone else. As it was she had in fact been in the throes of a particularly unpleasant dream, but it was not her own shrieks that shook her awake.

Somewhere, someone else was screaming.

Sitting up Zelda blinked the sleep from her eyes, running a weary hand over her face as she tried to clear the confusion of her abrupt awakening. Looking lazily at the window, where the noise seemed to be filtering in from, Zelda tried to get herself to think.

It was with a painful jolt in her stomach that she suddenly realised who must have been yelling, the haze clearing instantly as she slipped from her bed, grabbing one of the candles she tried to keep alight during the night as she hurried from her room.

The stone floor was cold against her bare feet as she stole quickly down the staircase, grasping a fistful of her nightgown in one hand to stop herself tripping as the other held the candle aloft, lighting her path dimly. She doubted she would have needed it, as the castle was more familiar to her than any other place, but for precaution's sake she tried hard to keep the small flame from going out.

In less than a minute she was before Link's door, opening it without hesitation. The yelling had petered out not long before, but as she entered the room she could see the bedcovers shifting restlessly, as if someone were battling with them.

'Link?' Setting the candle down Zelda called his name tentatively, approaching the bed slowly. He continued thrashing, and as another yell burst free of him Zelda froze, startled.

She did not know what to do. Should she wake him, or let whatever was occurring run its course? He was obviously fighting with something, unconscious or not, so disturbing him seemed like a foolish thing to do as she could very well be perceived as a threat. For all her rationalisations seeing him in such a state was distressing.

With nothing better to do Zelda took up her candle once more, lighting all the other candles she could find around the room until it was suffused with a soft orange glow that felt much more comforting than the previous deep shadows. She did not know what exactly it would accomplish, but she hoped it would be of some small help. In all honesty she did not want to approach Link, as she was aware of the deceptive strength in his lithe frame and she did not wish to incur its wrath, though she desperately wanted to help in some way.

After a few long minutes Link finally calmed, and when she approached the bed once more his breathing was even again, his demeanour apparently completely at ease. When she sat down carefully on the edge of the mattress she saw his eyelids flicker, before his eyes opened slowly.

'Are you awake?' She asked softly, raising her hands placatingly as he suddenly shot upright.

'Your Highness?' He grimaced as he gasped the words, lifting a hand to his throat as his voice came out a little hoarse. 'Why…?'

'I believe you were having a nightmare,' Zelda said, suddenly very glad she had refused to have any guards stationed nearby her chambers once Ganondorf's own guards had been expelled. No one but herself could have been disturbed by Link.

'Are you all right?' Plucking at her nightgown restlessly Zelda stared at him intently, watching a number of emotions flicker across his face. In the end it settled into a slight frown of confusion.

'I'm fine,' he said eventually, clearing his throat softly. 'I don't remember anything.'

'Oh.' Zelda was not sure if this was a good or bad thing. His reaction to whatever images had been plaguing his mind was a clear sign that they had been far from pleasant, so perhaps it was better that he did not recall them. But then again, remembering might well allow him to overcome whatever it was that had riled him up so.

'Sorry,' Link murmured as if sensing her inner conflict, and Zelda immediately shook her head with a gentle smile.

'No, no do not be sorry,' she said firmly, reaching out impulsively to take one of his hands where it lay atop the tangled covers. 'I am simply worried. You were quite worked up.'

'I was?' He sounded almost embarrassed, looking away to avoid her gaze. Squeezing his hand gently Zelda waited until he met her eyes again before smiling reassuringly. She had little doubt that she herself ended up in no better state when she had nightmares, so she understood.

'Do you truly remember nothing at all?' She asked slowly as silence weighed down on them, not wanting to push him but at the same time wanting to make sure he was okay. Link scrunched up his face thoughtfully, tilting his head from side to side for a moment.

'Not really, no,' he said, sighing softly. 'But I can guess.'

'Will you tell me?' Zelda said, knowing that he meant he had previous nightmares to surmise from. Just like her, he was no stranger to the terrifying images the subconscious could dredge up and parade around as dreams. Her heart went out to him, clenching at the thought of all the dark memories he no doubt had that could act as fodder for such dreams.

'There's not much to tell,' Link replied with a half-hearted shrug, looking down at their entwined hands. Tightening her grip slightly again Zelda nodded. She understood.

'Are you sure you are all right?' She asked after a moment, earning herself a short nod that she took as a 'no'. Of course he was not fine, but there was little she could do if he did not wish to speak of it. Rising to her feet slowly Zelda smoothed her gown with one hand as she sighed softly internally.

'I shall take my leave, then,' she said somewhat grudgingly, making her slide her hand from his. Even as she did, however, Link's fingers tightened just a little around her own. She halted, staring at him with a silent question.

'Will you- will you stay…?' He asked in a small voice, keeping his head bowed and tilted away from her. He sounded so young, the slight tremble in his voice nearly breaking her heart. To see the one who had saved her country in such a state was painful. She did not pity him, not in any way, but she did worry for him. Greatly.

'Of course,' she said, allowing perhaps a little too much warmth enter her tone as she sat back down on the mattress carefully, tucking one leg beneath her as she kept a steady grip on Link's hand. They sat in silence for a long time, Link staring down at the bed sheets while Zelda watched the orange light that filled the room flicker and waver, making her eyelids heavy with its almost hypnotic dance.

'How-' After what seemed like an eternity of their almost peaceful silence Link finally spoke, his hoarse voice so soft she could barely hear it. 'How do you stay so calm?'

'What do you mean?' Pausing just a little too long before answering Zelda watched him carefully, fairly certain she knew exactly what he was asking.

'When you had- have nightmares… you always seem so calm afterwards,' Link elaborated slowly, sounding as if he were picking each word with care. 'How?'

'I never feel calm,' Zelda admitted, causing him to glance at her swiftly. 'I merely try to ignore it. It is done, and over, and I try to remind myself of that. The past cannot hurt me so long as I do not forget it and allow it to repeat. The memories are painful, and they scare me, but the evil is gone and my country is at peace again. I try to take solace in that.'

'I wish I didn't remember,' Link whispered abruptly, curling his knees up to his chest and resting his forehead against them. 'I wish I could forget.'

'But you cannot,' Zelda said, squeezing his hand tightly. 'And you must not. To forget the bad you must also forget the good, Link, and so much good has come from the things you have done.'

'Has it really?' Link's voice was muffled, his shoulders hunched. 'Have I really done any good? All I can seem to do is hurt people, or make them leave.' The pain in his voice was tangible, so strong it took Zelda's breath away. How long had he been suffering with dark thoughts such as these? How long had he been alone, allowing them to fester in the corners of his mind?

'You have done so much good, Link,' Zelda said, reaching out with her free hand to touch his cheek lightly. 'So, so much good. You have saved entire worlds, Link. You slew the evil not only in Hyrule, but also in the Twilight Realm, did you not? All the thanks in all the realms would be enough to thank you for what you have done.'

'I killed someone. I killed that soldier,' he choked softly after a moment, shoulders shaking slightly. 'I swore, I swore, that I would never do something like that again when I defeated Ganondorf, but then… he was completely innocent, and I tore out his throat.'

Staring at him Zelda found she could not speak. Her throat was suddenly painfully tight, her eyes prickling as the pain in Link's voice hit her again and again.

'Link, Link look at me.' Reaching out she grasped his face in both hands, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were watery, his lips trembling just slightly. 'You were not in your right mind. There is no way you would do such a thing of your own volition. None at all.'

'It's not an excuse,' Link replied, squeezing his eyes shut as he let out a long sighing breath. 'It's no excuse.' Pulling away from her he buried his face once more, curling up into a tight ball wracked with pain.

For a moment Zelda could do nothing, trying to kerb her own pain, before she shifted until she was sat beside him. Wrapping an arm around him she pulled him against her, stroking his tangled hair gently. Somehow she had not realised the depth of his emotions, or how badly hurt he was. Perhaps she had been clinging to the lingering image of him standing strong and proud before a slain Ganondorf, and ignoring what was clearly in front of her. She had suspected, upon seeing him so withdrawn that he had reverted to his wolf form, but up until that moment she had never realised its extent.

Would she even be able to help him? She had vowed to, but was it in the end to be a mere fantasy?

It could not be. She would not allow it. If it was the last thing she did, she would help the young man curled up beside her.

Continuing to stroke his head softly Zelda sifted through her memories, recalling the times when she was younger that her father had sung lullabies to her to calm her after nightmares. It had been some time, but she found she could recall the words as she began to sing softly, hoping she could calm Link down at least a little just as she had been calmed. It took time, but after a little while she felt him begin to relax against her arm, though he remained sat in his tight ball for a lot longer.

It was a step, though as she sat singing quietly Zelda could not help but wonder what exactly she would be able to do to help him.