(RK enters fic ever so quietly. RK spots reviewers glaring at her for her almost two month disappearance) YIKES! I'M SORRY YOU GUYS! THIS TOOK REALLY LONG! I really had some things to attend to, but I managed to get this done finally over the break. It's sadly the last chapter. Missing it all ready. But anyway as usual I appreciate your reviews. Luigi 512 I know you wanted to see a Luigi romance. Do not worry, I do have one planned in the future because he's one of my fave characters. But he'll be in another fic.
Um…yeah there is a little favor, I need to ask of you guys. If you guys even see the little mistake in this fic, could you please point it out to me? I will love you forever! Thanks a million! Oh the one-shot is not as long as it looks, its just because of the long A/N at the we go!
With everyone's 99.999 percent favorite couple Link and Zelda!
Warned to be a bit long, not too long. A little angsty. A little tragic and dramatic. There is still romance.
Summer
The burning sun pushing down on her.
But she didn't care.
Her flushed skin on fire.
She didn't give it a second thought.
Her body weakening under the intensity of the heat waves
The pain was killing her, but her adrenaline helped her proceed on
No matter the pain
No matter the hurt
No matter whatever she is put through
She was going to keep moving
Summer. It had finally come. Fall did its changing magic. Winter brought love and comfort. Spring brought about a brand new life and blossomed in everyone's hearts. All these seasons faded away when summer came along. Summer was sometimes like a mood crusher. Now many people wouldn't say this about this innocent season. People say summer is a lot of things. They say its freedom from school. They say it's the time to catch the perfect wave. For others it means summer jobs or worse, summer school. Summer camp, dances, family, ice cream, snow cones, summer carnivals. All of these subjects came up when it came to summer. Even summer love.
Princess Zelda agreed with all these terms except the last one. Summer Love was great but sometimes it would only last for well...the summer. But she didn't really pay any heed to it anyway. Summer brought about so much happiness in other people's lives. You could sometimes say summer and winter were related, like spring and autumn were. Summer in relation to winter, did sometimes bring people together, but not for warmth, just to be close.
Her mind drifted back to the other seasons. It was strange to see how each season was similar to her best friends and their loves.
Fall. Fall resembled her sweet and demanding friend Princess Peach. Though Peach was always so tough, she was as delicate as a piece of paper or a leaf. She had everything and she was as happy as she could be. The death of Mario changed her dramatically and she suddenly started to hate change, so she dreaded fall. She didn't want to change with the fall season, but wanted to stay miserable without Mario. She did this for two years until Roy came along, and she realized all things must change and some things could be for the best. It was funny but it seemed like Peach moved from being delicate to tough and strong-willed once again.
Winter. Zelda already knew this season by itself defined her cold-hearted, proud, and independent friend Samus Aran. Samus didn't take much of a liking to anyone except for her and Peach of course. Whenever winter came along, she was the little pessimistic Samus and no one would want to be around her. Her friend acted like it didn't bug her at all but Zelda could tell Samus was affected directly by this season for only one reason; the loss of her family and the Chozos. It was obvious Samus was going to refuse to let anyone come near her, in fear of losing them too, but keeping them away made her wish she could keep at least one person by her side for warmth. Zelda was thankful when her other friend Marth held her and melted her frozen and troubled heart.
Spring. Zelda had forgotten that two other fellow friends of hers had taken advantage of this season. Nana and Young Link had always been best friends, but one of them matured a bit sooner than the other. Nana was always the fastest one to move up in the world out of the younger smashers. Young Link was included in these slack-filled smashers and because he was so late, he denied his own feelings for his dear friend Nana. The princess could never understand why younger boys would always be so secretive about their feelings when it was obvious. Eventually she knew the reason why was because of a boy's pride and the pressure of being frowned upon by their fellow male friends. But Young Link surprised Zelda when he overcame these fears of not being accepted by his friends and admitted his feelings to Nana. Their relationship continued to bloom even through the heated summer.
Summer.
Nothing ever happens.
Zelda pressed on in her running. How close was she now? The street called Manning Way appeared in the corner of her eye. So close, yet it felt like she was so far away. There was no way she was going to be forgotten. The sun was stinging her like a million bee stings all over her body. She wanted to stop and just scratch them. But touching them made her hands burn like hell and she knew she was getting scorched. She wasn't going to let this pain stop her from moving on. It was like the sun had found a way into her body, and was now trying its best to heat Zelda's heart to its limit. Even though her heart was starting to warm up like a coat, Zelda moved like waves and she would flow over this pain.
I'm not going to miss this moment. She told herself. I've had this feeling in my heart for a long time. This feeling of love for the Hero of Time, Link Gaiden is strong and just wanting to see him is enough power for me to get there.
Her brain drifted off to her beloved Link. Everyone knew Link, as the sweet, innocent and sincere guy. But Zelda knew there was much more to Link than that. He could be annoying, arrogant, and sometimes a little selfish when he can't do what he wants to do his way. Though these weren't his strong points, Zelda never wanted to abandon him. Link was her best friend and she refused to lose him like this. But she still couldn't figure out why he did this to her? Why would he try to push her away from him like this?
Did he hate her? Is that why he didn't mention it to her?
Her heart twined at that thought. Hate her? Had she slipped in her kindness to Link and punctured a hurtful wound in him? She quickly backtracked all her last encounters with Link. But she could only remember them having joyous times together. Their relationship was as tough as piano wire. It was as unbreakable as stones. It was as sharp as a cut diamond.
Once again, the sun challenged the princess. It attacked her like a barracuda on a helpless fish. Nothing could penetrate the rays of the sun burning her perfectly smooth skin. It had changed from flawless to baked and a tomato red color. It was almost like the sun was working for Link. Like it was trying it's best to keep Zelda from going any further. The sun had now pushed her heart to be as hot as a heating oven gradually rising in degrees. Try as the sun might, it could not break the princess' will power. She was going to see him and find out this mystery.
What was the mystery? Zelda was the only one aware of it.
It occurred a while back. The Hylian epic hero, had to leave for an assault on the two hands Master Hand and Crazy Hand with her other friends Marth and Roy. Zelda had to admit she was very worried about Link. She knew of the hands' power, due to past experiences a deceased friend went through. Zelda couldn't handle the thought of her best friend leaving. She hid herself away from him, knowing he wouldn't leave without saying good-bye. She was correct and the departure was delayed for hours. Though she could hide, she knew she could never show her face to Link again. She sacrificed her friendship, to keep him here and alive. But Link eventually found her and Zelda ended up being in tears. She gripped Link's tunic in her hands and sobbed out her feelings. She was never going to let him leave. She then threatened him. If he left her, she swore she would not wait for him. She would kill herself.
Zelda could remember the look Link gave her. His face was so angry. It was demented, almost like he was going to kill her. His aquamarine eyes flared like the flames of hell. He then grabbed Zelda's wrists and made her look directly in his fuming eyes. He leaned in closely to her and whispered a single sentence into her ears.
Never cry for me again.
Zelda was indeed shocked by his words. But Link did not let her respond at all. He told her, he never wants to see someone close to him cry for his safety. Instead, he wanted her to have faith in him. He explained that he wouldn't be able to fight without knowing his dearest best friend believed in him. Impossible, Zelda told him. She knew she would never stop crying if he left her. These words only made Link grasp her wrists tighter, forming red rings around her weakened wrists. Link's face then turned into a blend of sadness and despair. He only said this.
"Then I was deceived when I thought we were friends. If you cannot even make this single request."
This only made Zelda cry harder. She used her free legs to kick Link repeatedly in his ankles. "Why can't you understand? I don't want to lose you!" Her words were cut short, as Link cupped a hand over her mouth. He then turned her around to face the ocean behind them.
Silently, he let her stare at the ocean for a while before he spoke again.
"Zelda, as long as I know you trust in me to come back, you won't lose me. Look, what is that down by the shore?"
Zelda noticed Link was pointing down towards the ground. "It's sand." She answered.
"Right. What is that rushing back and forth across the sand? I'll give you a hint. It's full of salt." He said in a light-hearted joke.
"They're waves, Link. I don't understand where you are going with this."
"Zelda, our relationship is like a beach. You're the sand and I am all of the waves of the ocean. The waves rush upon the sand numerous of times, sometimes its different ocean water and sometimes it's the same. But one thing is for sure, Zel. The same ocean water will return to that same spot to greet with the sand once again. No matter how long it takes, it could be minutes, days, years, or decades but it will return to greet the sandy shores again." He finally released her wrists. He turned away from the beach.
"We are the same, Zelda. As long as I know you're waiting for me, no matter how many days, weeks, or years it takes, I will come back to greet you on these shores."
Zelda understood what he was telling her, but still had her doubts. "Link…I just…" Her words were sealed, as Link pulled out a pink and orange seashell hanging from a silver chain. It glistened as bright as the setting sun. She looked at the shell, very perplexed. "What's this?"
"Well it's a seashell the Zoras gave to me. This shell is my life Zelda. They told me when I was ready, I needed to give this to someone close to me, so they would always know I'm with them. I'm entrusting this to you. Once you wear this, there will be a connecting bond between us and you will always be able to keep track on me." He said quietly. Without asking, he gently placed the necklace around the princess' neck. "As long as you hear the ocean waves I know you'll have faith in me and I will return. But if you listen and you do not hear a single sound within the shell, you'll know that you've lost your faith in me and I will not return to you. Just hang onto this in trust in me, Zelda."
Zelda felt tears building up in her eyes. "Link…" she could only utter his name, as her tears drowned her out. Link wrapped his arms around his best friend, and let her cry into his shoulder. "I'll let you cry this last time. But after this valediction, never cry for me again."
Zelda shakily nodded. "I won't. She could hear the ocean from her new seashell perfectly. "I'll…I'll wait for you."
And I did. Zelda thought to herself as she pushed forward to her destination. She grabbed her seashell. The ocean was still clearly singing through her ears, as it had been doing for the past two years. I waited for two years and now he has returned. But…he's been here longer than that and he never told me. He was here two days ago, but only my friends knew about it. Why didn't he tell me? He knew I was worried about him.
Thinking on how hurt she felt, brought pain to her chest. She just couldn't figure it out. Why didn't he tell her that he was here? The sun attacked her heart once again. Her heart felt like a little flame had ignited in her body and soon it would become a blaze. She knew that the summer nature with all its power was trying to stop her from reaching him. But she wasn't going to collapse till she saw Link. She ignored her pleading heart as she saw her destination coming into view. She was going to return. To return back to the ocean shore. She was slowing down and her pace slowed down to a fast walk as she walked towards the beach.
Zelda started to wonder if Link even meant what he said to her that day. Maybe he was just trying to calm her down so she wouldn't be so worried. Maybe he was just trying to just sound like he was a great guy. Maybe he didn't love her as Zelda had hoped. In fact, maybe he didn't even enjoy being friends with her. It was just because he felt pity for this lonely princess. Zelda stopped walking and froze.
Pity.
Did Link really feel the need to pity her?
Zelda was now letting her hurt feelings win. Her heart was slowing turning into the burning of seven birthday candles. The sun was finally slowing her down. She was a princess. She already knew, by the rules of her father, she was never allowed to marry Link. He may have been the Hero Of Time, but rules were rules. His rules were the reason Zelda left to go to SSBM. So she could be with Link and she thought maybe Link felt the same way. But what if he only pitied her because he knew they could never become anything more than that. The sound from the seashell started to roll back away into the shell, slowly becoming inaudible.
They could become nothing more than friends and possibly not even friends forever.
Zelda grabbed her burning arms. She felt like she was on fire. Just touching her skin for a second, felt like diving into a bunch of flames.
As she reached her destination, she saw someone familiar in view. It wasn't Link but some familiar friendly faces. Though it was getting hard for her to concentrate through the excruciating pain of the sun, she could tell it was her friends Marth, Samus, Roy, and Peach. They were standing outside, in a circle in deep conversation as it looked to Zelda. Just staring at them, made her angry. They knew where Link was, for the past two days. She was talking to them everyday, they would smile and act like their normal selves. They did all this when they knew Link had been back in town for two days. They had told her Link had taken another boat back to town and they didn't know when he would be back.
What liars they were.
Zelda's anger took her heart to the next level. It was burning her heart the way fire would react once it starts burning a house. It was starting to slowly spread. The ocean flowing in her seashell became quieter and quieter. She angrily marched up to her friends. Samus was the first to catch sight of the Princess running towards them. She nudged Marth next to her and he turned along with Peach and Roy. Their eyes grew in size, and their conversation ended in a heartbeat. They stared back at the princess as she dangerously came closer.
Zelda stopped in front of them, only a few inches away. She just felt like she was on fire and the summer sun contributed to her raging heat waves. She looked down at the ground. "I…can't believe you…any of you…" Her hair had flown over her face like she was a rampaging wild animal. Through her blonde hair she could see them all staring at her with the same pathetic look in their eyes. Zelda could tell they knew exactly what she was talking about. "You all just continued life like nothing was missing! In case you DIDN'T know, Link left for two years! I was worried about him and you didn't tell me he came back!" She glanced at them all again. Samus was looking straight through her. Peach looked like she wanted to get a word in, but she was holding her tongue. Roy had turned his eyes to the sandy beaches and Marth was staring directly at her with a sincere look on his face.
They were feeling guilty. But it was too late for apologies, not that she wanted to hear them anyway. She only wanted to know if he was all right. "I just…can't even deal with you guys right now! Just tell me…end my suffering…where is he? Where is my friend? Where is Link?"
None of them responded. The sun directed its flames at Zelda again and now she was furious. "You guys are really unbelievable!" She found herself screaming. She knew she was acting out of line, but her friends had refused to tell her where he was. After all, they asked her to meet them at a diner and she sat there and waited. They never showed up and that's when Zelda knew something was wrong. "I want to see him!"
No response. Samus sighed heavily and took the rap for the friends. She approached Zelda slowly. "Zelda. I promise you. We know you want to see him, but we can't. You'll understand in time. We just…" her voice was trembling. "I-It's for the best." She didn't utter another word.
"Samus, you obviously don't understand my suffering. But I wouldn't expect you to, since Marth came don't have to worry anymore" She eyed Marth for a moment, before turning to Peach whose arms were nervously latched onto Roy's right arm. "Peach has a better chance than you, seeing she's lost someone before. Though I'd think otherwise now." She offensively said, getting a surprised look from both Peach and Roy. She didn't know where all this pain was coming from. "This is really annoying me! I already can't even stand to call you my friends. I know he is here." She said less loudly. "My shell…it…" Zelda's whole body froze, when she placed the shell to her ear.
No sound.
The flowing waves were gone.
Zelda's eyes widened. "No…" She said in a whisper. "It's gone…there's no sound." She was thinking aloud and now her friends were staring at her confused. "I don't understand. Why did it stop?" She raised her hand to her face. She felt something wet.
Tears.
She was crying and she didn't even realize it.
His last words to her played back in her head.
If you listen and you do not hear a single sound within the shell, you'll know that you've lost your faith in me and I will not return to you.
He won't return.
Link was never here. She was wrong about him hiding away from her. If there was no sound coming from the shell, he must have never showed up.
"He's…he's not coming back…I…broke his promise." This was the end of her rope. The sun resting inside her had reached its peak. It was now a raging inferno burning inside her heart. Just like a fire, it didn't just stay contained in his heart; it started to burn through her body. It shot down to her legs, it raged around in her stomach. The burning sun inside of her continued to rise up her body. Her chest felt the most impact, as it entered her lungs and rose to her neck. It was almost like she was smack dab in the middle of a burning fire. The pain was choking her, in ways she couldn't even imagine. Finally, the flames entered her nervous system, poisoning her brain, Her head felt like it was going to explode in any minute and she suddenly felt like she couldn't think anymore. Her mind was lost in the burning rays of the sun inside her body. Only one fragment of thought in her mind remained.
I promised him I would never cry again. But I did…he found out. I don't know how, but it doesn't matter. He wasn't going to return. The waves had stopped.
That last shard of what was left of her thoughts, finally cracked. She felt herself slip and lose balance of the swirling sand beneath her. The last words she heard were from one of her friends calling her name.
Zelda! It echoed in her ear, as she felt herself slip away. She was plummeting into a sea below her. But this sea was on fire! It was the feeling of standing next to a volcano. The sea was tearing away at her body, making her ache in even more pain than she was before. Her eyes opened and the first thing she saw was her shell. The one Link had given her that faithful day. She reached for the shell, but as she touched it, the shell caught on fire. As it burst into flames, she heard a male scream. Link was screaming in excruciating pain. She watched in horror as she saw the shell suddenly formed into the summer sun and she could see a body burning inside the hot star. When she realized whose body it was, she found her voice and was able to speak one word.
"LINK!"
"Zelda!"
Zelda's mind snapped back to reality. The heating flames disappeared and it suddenly felt cool. Like a mist. The burning sun with the evaporating Link inside it, had disappeared and Zelda could see nothing but darkness.
Was that Link's voice?
"Zelda!" It sounded very much like his voice.
The calling pulled her away from the darkness, and soon she could see color. It was blurry, but she could see everything was white. As her vision became clearer, she could see she was in a room. She blinked once and all of a sudden there were a pair of blue eyes staring down at her. Her sight returned to normal and she could see she was in a room. She squinted at the person staring down at her. When she realized who it was, she felt her heartbeats return to normal.
Her love, Link Gaiden, was smiling down at her. "Do you always dream about me when you sleep?"
Zelda shot up immediately. A terrible pain pricked at her head but she was too busy wrapping her arms around Link's neck to care. "Link! Oh goddesses! I can't believe it! It's really you!"
"Well, it's me!" Link said, rubbing her back affectionately with his left arm. "Here in the flesh! Seems like you can't be left alone for a moment. Never expected to find you in the hospital."
"Hospital?" Zelda looked around the room. Sure enough, hospital equipment was surrounding her. There was a counter covered with papers and hospital supplies like medicine and needles.
She saw her Hylian pink dress hanging on a hanger from a closet. She looked down at her attire, to see she was wearing her own silk white nightgown. Her tiara was resting on the table along with the pins she would use to keep her hair back. Her hair was loosely hanging down and compared to what it was yesterday, it was combed and brushed out. She slowly looked back at Link. He still had a small smile on his face. "How did I get here?"
Link scratched his head as he, very slowly eased himself back in his chair. "Well…it seems right after you verbally attacked our friends, you sort of lost it for a second. You started screaming things they couldn't understand and then you just collapsed. You blacked out and the doctor said you had a heatstroke. Peach informed me right away about what happened. Good thing you were with them when this happened. You've been out of it for two days." He raised his hand and pointed towards the nightstand next to her. There was a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers sitting there. "They brought you these yesterday."
Zelda frowned as she looked at the bouquet. "Remind me to burn those later." She replied smugly.
"Whoa, Zel." Link looked at her in astonishment. "What's with the attitude? They pretty much saved your life. You could have died out there, without the medical-"
"I thank them for that. But that doesn't excuse what they put me through and especially you." Zelda gripped her sheets angrily. "For two years, I have been by myself! You were away, but I trusted you and decided to wait for you. I did this for two years and then you return. But I'm not informed about your arrival. Then I really got worried when I realized, I could no longer hear the waves anymore." She felt around her neck. The shell necklace was still there. "They were hiding you from me. Almost like they didn't want me to see you."
"You can't blame them for that, Zelda. It wasn't their fault." Link blurted out. "They had no choice in the matter."
Zelda wanted to respond since she couldn't comprehend what he meant, but something bright red caught her eye. She saw directly at Link's right wrist, blood was heavily flowing out from a large wound. Zelda's eyes widened. One of the veins in his body, was letting blood flow out of it freely. "Link! You're hurt." She watched as Link looked at the wound idyllically. She wondered if she heard him. "Link if you keep bleeding like that, you'll infect the veins in your body. You could die!" she pointed out.
Link lifted up his bloody hand. The blood dripped onto his green tunic. Zelda saw on the ground, there was already a puddle of blood on the tile floor. He chuckled. "I'll die huh? Just what I wanted."
Zelda looked at Link horrified. "What? Link, what's wrong with you?"
"Listen, Zelda," Link said sternly. "I don't have long for this world. This wound has been bleeding for almost an hour and a half. I should have been dead a long time ago. I must have not punctured the vein correctly." Link reached to mess with his wound, but Zelda quickly grabbed his hand.
"Stop it! This isn't like you!" Zelda trembled at this new Link. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Why?" Link glared angrily at the sky. "I'm no longer useful to you, Zelda!" He shouted. "There is absolutely no reason for us to even see each other anymore!"
"What?" Zelda couldn't believe what the Hylian was saying. This had to be some imposter. The Link she knew told her he would return to her and never be separated again. This identity thief could not be him. "Why would you even say that to me, Link?"
"I guess now would be a good time to tell you the story." Link left his wound alone and looked Zelda deep in the eyes. "I did get back two days ago. I came back with Marth, Roy, and the others on the same boat. The battle went fine and we finally defeated the two hands. But…it came with a price." Link felt tears burning in his eyes. "A price so bad, I told… I told my friends to make sure they didn't tell you what happened. I told them and everyone else to make sure not to tell you I was back. In fact, I was hoping for them to never reveal my return. Samus of course opposed to this, but I made her promise me she wouldn't tell you no matter what occurs. Eventually she agreed, but she felt like she wouldn't be able to look at me and say I was the same guy she used to know. But I didn't care. Just as long as you wouldn't find out. By the way, you should of saw her freaking out two days ago, when you were just drenched with sweat. She said you just touched your face and then you lost it."
Zelda suddenly felt guilty. She snapped at her friends for no reason. She now knew why her friends, didn't respond to her rants. It was already bad enough they couldn't tell her what had really happened to Link. If they lied, they would feel even worse about it. Samus had bravely decided to say something, like she was going to tell her about Link's whereabouts, but Zelda could see that she backed away from that idea, when she remembered what she had promise Link. She knew, she would have to apologize to them all soon. Wait? She said I was covered in sweat? So I wasn't crying but sweating? I guess it was just one of the symptoms. Then, why couldn't hear the ocean anymore?
The princess wanted to ponder this, but there was still a mystery to solve. She found herself giving Link a livid stare."Then why didn't you tell me you came back? Don't you remember how scared I was when I found out you were leaving! I wanted you to come back to me safe and unharmed!"
"Well I guess I failed that didn't I!" Link spat. He scooted his chair and it swerved back on its wheels. "I'm sure this will explain everything!" Link revealed his legs. What Zelda saw, ran chills up her spine. Link's legs were a mess! They were full of cuts and large vile purple bruises. If there weren't any bruises and cuts in a certain spot, she would see dried-up maroon blood on his legs. It was almost as if Link's legs were diseased. How close she was to the truth. She didn't respond, as Link assumed.
"You see why I didn't tell you? This is a disease that Master Hand and Crazy Hand placed on me, as their last resort before they were defeated. It's going to infect my whole body Zelda." Link said quietly, his tears were right at the crevices of his eyes. "Right now my legs are paralyzed. The doctors told me I'd never be able to walk again. The only good news about this is, I can't even feel the pain as it penetrates my body. I can still tell when it progresses and continues to poison me." Link watched Zelda still stare at his wounds. He sighed. "As it spreads, my whole body is going to be paralyzed and eventually…I'll die."
Zelda was quiet for a long time. She looked down at the chair he was sitting in. She didn't know why she didn't realize till now it was a wheelchair. "This was your secret?"
Link nodded. "I really don't know how this happened. I mentioned to you how I was going to return to you. I was very determined and I wasn't going to fail you. But I didn't know the battle was going to be this long. It lasted for two years as you know and every moment it took to get back to you, I felt like I was wasting time. I knew at this rate you were going to be with someone else." Link looked at Zelda's beautiful face for a moment. He didn't know why he didn't tell her earlier how much he loved her. Then maybe this wouldn't have since he was going to die, he didn't mind telling her. "Zelda, you may not realize it, but I love you dearly. You're just this special gift from the goddesses. Your love, your hope and determination made me come to know you as someone I know I want to be with. But I know I can't."
Zelda looked up at him. "What do you mean?" She pushed her legs off of the bed and sat up straight. She had the strangest look on her face.
"Zelda, you're the princess of Hyrule. You and I both know my love means nothing to you. I'm a commoner, even if I am the Hero Of Time. If you even did love me, we could never be together. At first I thought maybe I stood a chance, while I was still the courageous hero." His tears finally escaped and for the first time in Zelda' s life, she saw Link break down and cry. "But then this happened! Those…monsters poisoned me! They ruined any chance I had, to maybe make you start to like me as more than friends. To actually become a couple and maybe one day get married." Link chuckled, choking back his tears. "I know this all sounds crazy to you. To find out a low life has fallen in love with you. But I do though. But it no longer matters because either way, I will eventually die ."
Link looked directly at Zelda. She had her head down, refusing to let Link see her face. "I can't believe this." He heard her whisper through her sniffs.
Link smiled as he placed his hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Hey. You promised me you wouldn't cry for me anymore. No wonder you could no longer hear the ocean. You lost faith in me, though who wouldn't after the mistakes I made."
Zelda took her right hand and slapped Link's hand off her shoulder. She angrily glared up at him, not a single tear on her face. "I'm not crying!" All of a sudden, Zelda stood up and gripped the sides of Link's wheelchair. Without any regret, Zelda violently pushed the wheelchair back. The chair sped at high speed and before Link could even comprehend what was happening, the chair shot into the wall and fell over, taking him with it. Link cried out as he hit the floor. He looked at Zelda, full of dismay, but Zelda didn't even have a bit of sympathy readable on her face.
"I am far from crying over your injury!" Zelda said through her angry cries. "What you just said to me was just horrible! How can you tell me that, Link!" she scolded.
"Zelda, I don't know what I could have possibly said that has offended you." Link said in bewilderment. "It's all true."
Zelda shook her head as she lifted up her seashell necklace. "You can't even begin to understand what you have just done wrong. I think I know why I can't hear the waves in the seashell anymore." She folded her arms as she walked over to Link. "I thought maybe it stopped earlier on before I passed out. But I didn't have anything to do with it. It stopped because of you!" she pointed out.
"Me?" Link sat up, leaning his back against his wall. "What did I do?"
"If you stay quiet for a moment, I can tell you!" Zelda snapped. She couldn't tell if she was either frustrated or angry at Link. But if she mixed the two emotions together, she knew she was actually hurt. The evidence was clear, as her eyes started to burn. Burning eyes or not, Zelda would die before she even let a tear form in her eye. "You're the one who is making me angry, Link. You said that day if I ever lost faith in you, there was no hope and expecting you to come back. I never cried a single tear, which made it weird to not hear the waves anymore. But I think there is more to this shell than you told me. You said it would be able to keep track of my feelings, but I think it wasn't only mine, but your feelings also."
Link eyes widened. "I still don't see what this has to do with me, Zelda."
"You just told me. You said while you were battling out there, you were worried I had left you and continued on with my life. You let your judgments get the best of you and this injury was the result of your…" Zelda wrapped her arms around herself. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you lost your faith in me. You didn't trust me at all!" Link was about to comment on her thoughts, but Zelda held her hand up to refrain him. "Do not try to deny it. You know exactly what you said and it just hurts me so much." She stopped and gazed at Link's still bleeding arm. She wanted to let him get what he wanted. He wants to die and she could let him. But those feelings in her heart she had for Link were thinking otherwise. Zelda walked over to him and raised her hands above Link's wounded arm. She immediately started to heal the wound.
She hushed Link before he could even speak another word. "That's not all you said to me. You told me that you know the duties of a princess. We could never be together because of our ranks." She shut her eyes and spoke calmly. "You're right, Link. These rules do exist and they should be followed. For me, love is only allowed with royalty. But here's something that will open your eyes." She said in a haughty tone. "I feel the same way about you. I love you more than anything." Her eyes flew open, flames burning inside them. "But!" She added quickly and sharply.
Link just stared at her. She feels the same. I always thought… I mean she was only being my friend and nothing else. At least that's what I thought, but how could she love me now. Link's blue eyes stared at the door behind Zelda. "You can't love me anymore, because I'm in this condition right?"
Zelda angrily slammed her free hand onto the floor, making Link flinch. "That was your second mistake!" Zelda yelled in his sensitive ears. "First you thought I would never love you because I'm a princess. That was already enough for me to handle. Just now, you took it to the next level! Why would you even think I would never love you because of this!" She glanced down at his legs. "I could care less about them! The only thing I care about is that you're here with me now. I didn't lose my faith and you came back. But you! You let me down Link!" she cried out angrily. Her emotions were so unreadable. Many people had made the princess cry before, but Link had beaten them all. She wasn't crying, but Link made Zelda wish she didn't even exist. The wound was finally healed. Without much more to say, Zelda helped Link up and back into his wheelchair. Her rage was slowly dissipating.
"Zelda…" Link started.
"Tell me this, Link." Zelda stood up and turned towards the sliding glass door. "Two years ago when we were standing by the beach, did you even know what you were talking about? Or did you just say those things to calm me down? There was actually nothing you could do to make sure I wouldn't panic unless you lied to me."
"No. I really heard this from the Zoras." Link sighed. "I just didn't believe in it myself." He replied softly.
"I thought so. But the sad thing is, it was true." Zelda glanced at the shell again. "But it's more like I'm the waves and you're the…"
"Sand?" Link answered.
"No." Zelda looked back at Link. The sun was shining behind her as if she were a holy saint. "More like you were the shell. I am the ocean trying to reach out to you, but you were the shell blocking me from getting close to you. You were scared something might happen. When you heard I was scared, it only made you even more frightened, so you told me about this shell so you could find some courage in yourself. When I became faithful, I had finally reached inside of you and you found the bravery to go into battle. But as the months started to build, your shell started to harden and you pushed away the faith I had in you. You thought I had moved on." Zelda's lip trembled. "Link, I would never abandon you. You're just too precious to me and as your friend I trusted your words. But…you didn't trust mine. Then you came back with this excuse of how I'm a princess and we could never stay close anyway. You hoped I would forget about you then. But you just can't understand Link, that you mean so much to me." She raised a hand to her face, refusing to let a tear drop. "That's all I have to say."
Link was feeling extremely guilty. Everything Zelda had revealed about him was true. Zelda may have been fearful that day, but Link was terrified. The thought of never seeing his friends including Zelda, brought Link down to a coward. He let his selfishness get the best of him and he told Zelda something, he wasn't even sure he believed and this was why all this was happening. Everything was his fault. He was ashamed of himself. He looked at the princess now leaning against the door. She had a hand to her face, trying to stop herself from letting a tear form in her eye. But without a doubt in Link's head, he knew that Zelda was emotionally hurt. It was almost like Link took a knife and stabbed at Zelda's emotions thousands of times. He gazed outside again.
The Summer Sun.
It was working along with him, trying so hard to keep Zelda away from him. But it wasn't successful at anything except giving the princess a heatstroke. Then again, maybe he was wrong. The sun may have been working for him, but maybe it was actually teaching him a lesson of his mistakes. Link had to admit; the sun really did teach him a lesson. By making terrible judgments, it could lead to a downfall; even the downfall of his friends. He knew he had to get his friend back.
Link folded his hands in his lap. He looked down, trying to conceal his own guilt and sadness. "Zelda. I…don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything!" Zelda's voice sounded as if she was cut off from air and her lungs were giving out. "You've said enough already."
Link sighed and rubbed a hand over his legs. He didn't know what else he could tell her. But she had every right to speak her feelings to him. Link knew if he were Zelda, he wouldn't want to speak to him either. But there had to be some way to get her to talk to him. He could tell Zelda wasn't really angry with him, but mainly upset and ashamed of him. There had been things Link has done in his past that he wasn't too proud of, but Zelda would never hate him for it. The princess wanted something. The epic hero knew she wanted more than an apology. His eyes lit up when he figured out exactly what she wanted. He remembered when he told her, to never do this for him again. It was time to break this wish, he asked of her.
He wheeled his chair over to the princess. "Zelda." He was surprised the princess turned around at the sound of her name. He eased himself comfortably in his chair. "Come sit on my lap."
Zelda eyed him crazily. Her eyes were still fighting the tears. "What?"
"Just sit in my lap, please." Link said again. She looked like she was going to agree, but then she looked down at his injuries. "Don't worry about them, I'll be fine." He gently grabbed her hand and made her stand next to her. He eased her slowly onto his lap, and she didn't disagree with his actions. As soon as she was on his lap he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. She replied with a small whimper.
"Zelda." He said in a whisper. "Whatever emotions you're feeling right now, let them all out. Don't hold back. If you have anything you want to let out on me or anyone else or just anything. Let it just flow and I will do the same."
Zelda raised her head to Link. He nodded to assure her it was okay with him. It didn't take long for Zelda to respond. She pressed her lips against Link's and kissed him slowly. Link didn't expect her to kiss him, but he didn't reject the kiss but only accepted it. While she was kissing him, Link felt her lips trembling against hers and soon he could feel her salty tears falling on his nose. Tears. The only thing Zelda wanted to do was just cry and Link wanted the same thing. He felt his own tears falling from his own eyes, but he didn't stop kissing her and Zelda the same. Through her tears and rosy kiss, Link could identify what Zelda was trying to tell him.
"I never want you to leave me again. My heart felt like it was tearing in two. Every night when the world is silent, I'm always thinking about you. My tears wanted to fall, but I wanted to prove my trust in you, I wouldn't even let myself cry in my dreams. When I heard you came back, I knew I would be happy again. But then you told me all these horrible things and it was like you left me again and someone else was in your place; someone who could not trust in me anymore. It's scaring me right now, because I'm afraid to love you now in fear we will go through this trial again."
Not only could Link understand Zelda, but Zelda could understand him too.
"Everything you confessed unto me just now was correct. I wanted to just stay with you and leave the world of battle. I didn't want to take the chance to lose you. But they needed me and I was letting them down. I did lie about believing in the legend told behind these magical seashells. I was being my selfish self again. After I got injured, I really thought I could never go back to you and I had failed you. I would never be able to protect you again. That's why…I knew I tried to commit suicide to rid myself of seeing you leave me. I couldn't bear it. I never knew my actions, would result to this. I almost lost someone dear to me. I just hope you will accept me now, even if my time is limited."
Their lips parted and Zelda let her last tears leave her eyes as she threw her arms around Link again and allowed him to hold her. "Never. Never will I even think about leaving you." She whispered in his ear.
Link heartily smiled as he hugged her softly. "Nor will I leave you." He looked past her. The waves were rushing across the shore "I think I believe now. Our relationship really is like a beach."
Zelda pulled away from him, but kept her arms around his neck. "You mean like how you're the waves and I'm the sand?"
"Sort of. I think we're more like an ocean. Our relationship tosses and turns just like the waves, and sometimes we crash into the heavy rocks pushing us away from the shore and weakening our connection with each other. But as we continue to crash into those we will find crevices we will bypass through to the sweet haven; the sandy shore."
"Yes. There were rocks blocking me from you. Like the sun." Zelda added. "I really wanted to see you, but it was like it was trying to stop me from reaching you. Trying to melt the love we have for each other."
"But you found a way around it. Like water finding a way to get through rocks and hopefully soon the water will reach that shore."
Zelda fully understood him. "I believe we finally reached that shore."
Link pulled her against him again. " I think so too." Link never wanted this moment to end. But he had to think about the future. This poison would soon claim his life. "I just wish this love could last forever. But…" His vision was blurring up and he knew tears were welding up in his eyes once more. "This…may be it."
Zelda brought her soft hands to Link's face and wiped his foolish tears away. "I never want you to cry about your wounds again." She said with a smile. "I'm not one to give up so easily. Together we are going to find a way to cure you. There is a big chance you may never be cured and you may leave me. But like waves, I promise I'll find my way back to you. Though…there may be a change if you not only trust in me, but yourself."
Zelda's words sounded familiar to Link. He then remembered he had said the same thing to Zelda two years ago but in different format. He smiled and pressed his own forehead against hers. "I have faith that you will come back to find me. You know what else I believe?" He spoke so quietly that it was only audible to Hylian ears.
Zelda simply kissed him on the cheek before responding to his answer. "I believe I love you too." She gazed into his aquamarine eyes for a moment. She was wrong about summer. Summer love can last longer than just the season itself. At least she knew for sure she and Link would anyway. Just as the Hero Of Time was about to kiss Zelda's rosy lips, the door opened breaking them apart. Their friends entered the room with gifts in their hand. Roy walked over to them, Peach's hand in his.
"So it finally happened. The little lovebirds finally got together." Roy joked. Peach's responsiveness to Roy's comment was a small smile.
"Roy, stop picking on them. You know they hate that." Peach scolded them, even though she was also guilty about pestering the two about their love life.
Link would have normally responded negatively to Roy, but he only placed an arm around Zelda and grinned. Zelda found herself smiling as well. Samus and Marth came up to them with Young Link and Nana right at their heels.
Samus eyed them for a sec. "Looks that way to me." She looked up at Marth. "Is this love Marth or am I seeing things?"
"Don't worry, you're right. They are." He nodded in congratulatory way to Link.
Zelda felt her heart drop a bit. Remnants of yesterday returned to her mind. She sadly looked at her friends. "You guys…about yesterday."
"Don't worry about it." Peach commented. The others nodded in agreement. Peach waved her hand, as if brushing a fly out of her face. "It's a thing of the past. Just think about the future, Zellie."
Zelda smiled as she leaned against Link softly. Young Link and Nana approached them with smiles on their faces. They had changed from when Link had seen them two years ago. Nana was a little bit taller and her hair was long and pulled into a French braid. Young Link still had the childish look in his face, but Link could see a little of him inside the boy. He could tell he had matured. They held out two pots with one plant in each of them.
"Look what we brought from home, Zelda. We thought you might want to see them." Nana smiled when Zelda smiled herself, recognizing the flowers she had given to Nana and Young Link. It was the fully bloomed pinkish yellow bud and the purplish blue bud. "We've been taking good care of them together." Nana handed the brighter flower to Zelda.
Young Link handed the darker flower to Link. "This one is for you, big brother!" He said, adding Link's nickname.
Link ruffled his hair and took the flower in his hand. "Thanks. It's good to know, you guys always have my back."
As the group agreed once again, they noticed the sun was finally saying farewell and greeting the moon on its way down. Young Link noticed the sunset first in pushed open the sliding glass door and called to Nana to come with him. She smiled gleefully and followed her dear friend out the door. Peach nudged Roy and eyed him, telling him 'let's take a look' He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze as they walked out the door to the little balcony. Samus walked on ahead alone, since Marth stayed behind to push Link's wheelchair out there, with Zelda still in his lap. As soon as they were outside, they admired the beauty of nature and all its wonders.
Zelda noticed something else. A little bit of nature's beauty was spreading in all of them. Young Link had helped Nana onto the railing of the balcony and he climbed up next to her with his arm curved around her shoulders. Roy had also lifted Peach onto the railing, but he didn't get on himself. Instead, he was behind Peach, his arms wrapped around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder and Peach had rested her hands upon his. Marth had left the wheelchair and walked over to where Samus was standing. He greeted her by swiftly, but gently grabbing her hand making her twirl around to face him. He then turned her to face the sunset again, but this time she was resting against his body. Zelda and Link heard the bounty hunter mutter something negative, but shortly giggle afterward.
Zelda stared at all her friends and then giggled herself, making Link tap her from behind. She turned around and faced her handsome prince. "Yes?" She said softly.
Link smiled brilliantly at his princess. "Are you thinking the same thing as me?"
Zelda simply brushed his bangs out of his face before giving him a small peck on his lips. "Yes, I'm thinking the same thing you and everyone else is thinking." Without another word, she leaned back against Link and he placed his arms around her shoulders, on the collar of her neck. Their eyes watched the rising moon.
It was true. All the couples were really thinking the same thing. Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. They were all truly magical seasons.
Seasons of Pain
Seasons of Healing
Seasons of Loneliness
Seasons of Comfort
Seasons of Fear
Seasons of Courage
Seasons of Worry
Seasons of Belief
Seasons of Love
The End
A/N: Aww… I think I'm finally proud of my work. I mean, I've finished a third story and I'm happy with myself. Oh did anyone catch the bolded part in the one-shot. That's because I need to clarify something I said there.
There was a line that Link said:
"Sort of. I think we're more like an ocean. Our relationship tosses and turns just like the waves, and sometimes we crash into the heavy rocks pushing us away from the shore and weakening our connection with each other. But as we continue to crash into those we will find crevices we will bypass through to the sweet haven; the sandy shore."
Um…yeah, I wasn't sure if everyone would be able to comprehend that. This is what I meant. Some relationships I have noticed go through ups and downs. Sometimes there are people, rules, secrets, (etc.) always trying their hardest to break the relationship apart. But if your love is strong (Like Link and Zelda's) you will pass these dilemmas threatening you and you will keep your relationship alive.
Yeah, that's what it meant. Hope it helped out. Oh yeah about the seashell. I want to see if you guys can guess what the shell is like in a certain movie. A certain item in a certain Christmas movie. I give you one small hint. The word "shell" rhymes with this item, which also makes a beautiful sound. I hope someone figures out what the movie is and what the "object" is in the movie. I won't tell you but I'll send you a little greeting if you guess it right.
I hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter. It was intended for Link/Zelda, so I gave them as much spotlight as I could before I shifted the one-shot to everyone else. If this was a question to anyone, yes I decided to make these one-shots connect, so I could have a good ending. I'm sorry Zelda and Link fans if you wanted it to be them and only them. Don't worry. You'll see some more Zelda/Link sooner than you think. There will definitely be some in my works up right now and the soon-to-be fics. You can read a bit more about that in my new profile as soon as I get rid of that message that's almost two months old. Okay, here's the fun part! The thank-you's!
For the Season of Autumn
Couple: Roy/Peach
Theme: Pain and Healing
Song of Support: "My Immortal" (Evanescence) (1st version)
For the Season of Winter
Couple: Marth/Samus
Theme: Loneliness and Comfort
Song of Support: "I Turn To You" (Christina Aguilera)
For the Season of Spring
Couple: Young Link/Nana
Theme: Fear and Courage
Song Of Support: "Reflection" (Christina Aguilera)
For the Season of Summer
Couple: Link/Zelda
Theme: Worry and Belief
Song of Support: "Dreaming Of You" (Selena)
These songs were very supportive to helping me figure at my one-shots. I could listen to these songs as I wrote these and picture and write the one-shots with an understanding. Well that's all you need to know about that. Now on to you!
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I believe that's everyone and if I forgot your name, feel free to tell me. If this will be your first time reviewing, I thank you guys also. It's been real fun. No, it didn't reach 100 reviews, but I didn't expect it to get that much since it was only four chapters. I didn't even expect to get this many for just three chapters and possibly now four. I was really worried about these one-shots, but all of your reviews inspired me to keep writing. Thanks again everybody! You're the absolute best. I'm glad to be back, but I'll have to leave the writing for a while cuz I got a dance to go to this weekend and I gotta get ready for a good evening! I will come back again! Thanks again! I'll stop now. I think you know how great you guys are, but I'll keep saying it in my head. Oh and on a side note, I hope to see some writing from some people who are listed on there. Yes I'm going to point you out like I did the last time.
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It's been a while since I've seen your last works. I miss them! I want to see them again! Or else I will have to assume the worst. You all died in a fiery car crash plummeting into the pits of sorrow. Ha ha! JK! I just hope to see you people again some day! Well anyway, I think this is the longest A/N I ever wrote. I'm going to rest my fingers.
Peace Out My Friends!
Royal Kenya