It was a little later in the night when Zelda woke up. Her graceful, tanned arms fell across her messy bed, expecting her lover to be lying nearby. However, when she realized nothing was there, she frowned and remembered Link's sudden need to disappear earlier in the night.

"Link, why ever did you leave me?" Zelda asked to no one in particular, feeling sort of empty and a little sad inside. The young college student scanned her room in a tired manner until her eyes fell upon Link's phone on the floor. Happy to have a reason to visit her companion, Zelda picked up the phone, put on her jacket, grabbed her keys, and headed outside towards Link's room.

"Sorry to wake you, Link, but I hope you still want your phone," Zelda called as she knocked on the door. No response. Opening the door, the beautiful woman accidentally dropped the phone upon her graphic discovery. In the middle of the room, crumpled on the floor lay her love, with a small puddle of blood pooling out of his body and a knife stuck in his stomach.

"Oh no…"

Fear and despair ensnared Zelda as she struggled to come to grips with what Link had just done.

Running to the twenty-two year old's unconscious form, Zelda frantically pulled out the knife, grimacing as it made a SLRCHHH sound. With one hand she checked for a pulse and with the other she subconsciously stroked Link's handsome face, trying with all her might not to panic. Tears started to stream out of her usual happy orbs of optimism upon realizing that the troubled love of her life had tried to kill himself in the night. He was alive, but just barely.

"Oh Link, please be okay," Zelda worried as she kissed his charming face and proceeded to carry his dying body to her car. It was fortunate that she was one of the few students that had enough money to park near the dorms, else Link would not have a chance.

"Don't die on me, honey! I love you so much!" Zelda cried as she heaved Link's body through the winter night. It was lightly snowing outside in the chilly night. Zelda cried even more because she had wanted to go sledding with her love in the morning. She had wanted to do so much with this man.

Persevering as best as the young woman could, Zelda opened her passenger door and laid Link down in the seat. After kissing the handsome man's face once more for good measure and strapping him in with the seatbelt, Zelda got in the car and sped off to the hospital. Zelda stole a couple of glances at Link as she drove along. She thought of Link's words of self-grief when he had mentioned a girl who had become scared of him and out of Link's shyness came his association among his student body as a stalker during high school. Sure that was many years ago, but it was something that the man could not let go of and let it scar him for life. He was hurt. Because of a girl's reaction towards Link years ago, he would continually feel that everyone would look at him the same way: as a creeper. It all made sense! That was why Link had never had a relationship. It had led him to this.

Don't worry, dear. Everything will be alright. I am going to save you. You have been so wronged by the world, but I will take care of you.

...

What a joke you are

You fail at everything

You cannot make friends

Girls are afraid of you

Nobody loves you

And you cannot even kill yourself properly

So sad

So pitiful

LEAVE HIM ALONE!

Who is this?

A mere girl that is attracted to this bastard son?

He is my best friend and you shall not torment him any longer with your grim ramblings!

I see

Tell me, wench. Why is Link supposed to love you now?

What are you going on about?

You have frequently needed Link's help with your studies, but up until now, what have you done to show your interest in him?

I…

You see? This is why young Link is so conflicted. I just gave him a little push and away he went. Away from this corrupt and angry earth, to rest in peace in death, until you had to happen!

I love him. I would never consider Link as anything less than the most perfect man in the world…in my life.

THEN WHY NOW? WHY DO YOU SHOW IT NOW?

BECAUSE I WAS SCARED!

scared? Of this piece of shit?

I didn't want to destroy our friendship. I didn't want him to reject me. And he is NOT a piece of shit!

So you mustered up enough courage to risk losing a friend for your selfish love.

He loves me.

What?

He loves me and I love him. We are in love. The risk was worth it.

That's a bunch of lies. You are just another bitch that wants to use him for your own gain.

Tell me he did not feel anything when we kissed.

That is right. You know that he loves me with all of his heart. He does not need to be afraid anymore. He deserves this. He deserves me.

Wretched whor-

You will leave Link alone and never come back.

How dare-

LEAVE NOW AND NEVER RETURN!

He is in my care now…my love…my Link

...

"Ms. Harkinian?"

"Yes," replied the tired girl, anxiously awaiting the doctor's news.

"Please come with me"

Zelda stood up and walked with the doctor towards Link's room. She had been praying that he would safely make it out of this. She would never leave his side after this. She promised herself that her foremost priority was to take care of Link. She had to do her best to rescue the poor soul from depression.

"Your friend is luck to be alive. Another moment and his life would have been gone," said the doctor as he walked with Zelda.

"So…So he's going to be alright then?" asked Zelda, biting her lip. The suspense was killing her.

"It has taken a while to sew up the wound, but he is stable now," the doctor replied, much to Zelda's relief. "He is on medication to numb the pain and will be awake shortly. However, I advise that he see a psychiatrist to prevent him from doing anything like this ever again".

"Thank you so much!" Zelda exclaimed, and she gave the doctor a ferocious hug.

Hurrying into Link's room, Zelda gazed upon her best friend. This man had gone through a lot. He had stayed up many nights to help Zelda to become a great journalist, hid his emotions like a true gentleman, and now a surgery to patch up a foolish and violent mistake. It was her turn to care for him now.

Suddenly, Link's eyes fluttered open and he tried to take in his surroundings. Zelda, however, embraced him so fast that he did not have time to think.

"Zel…Zelda?" asked a shocked Link.

"Good morning, sunshine!" replied an overjoyed young woman. Zelda nuzzled her head next to Link's and gave him a rather gentle, loving kiss on the tip of his nose. Link's heart instantly melted at this display of affection and he returned her love by caressing her cheek and planting his lips on her forehead.

After the couple's exchange of feelings, Link pulled away and gazed longingly into Zelda's shimmering eyes.

"I am so sorry-" began the sorrowful young man, but he was silenced by a kiss. This one was so soft, but filled with emotion as Zelda stared her lover deep in the eyes.

"You do not need to apologize, Link. I should have showed you more love before now," replied a teary-eyed Zelda. She was ashamed of her quick-to-love actions hours ago, but also happy to have the light of her life with her again. Tears cascaded down Zelda's normally radiant face as she succumbed to mentally beating herself up.

"Hey, hey now. Look don't cry, Zel," cooed Link softly as he brushed away the girl's tears with his finger. Link did not like seeing her torn apart like this.

"No. You were so troubled and lonesome and I just came onto you like…like a slut!"

"Shhh, love, it's okay. You're not a slut. Don't you ever think that. You are love. My love. I admit it was all very sudden, but you were so graceful and caring. I should have never tried to do what I did. You said you wanted some time to talk to me and to care for me, and I was a fool to think otherwise. I should have never left your arms".

Link turned away, staring out at the snow falling from the sky. Zelda took this time to help calm her love. With her flexible fingers, the girl began to massage Link's back as lovingly as possible. She worked her way up and down, up and down, taking in deep, long breaths as she desperately fought to soothe her Link. Each ministration felt more compassionate than the last as Zelda worked the kinks of tension out of Link's rigid back muscles.

The young man closed his eyes and fell into a trance. Soon Link decided he would also take part in this and softly stroked Zelda's athletic legs. Waves of pleasure hit him as he made soft contact on Zelda's loving skin. Each lover continued to physically soothe the other, until Zelda, saddened once more, worked up the nerve to speak again.

"You are my love, Link. I thought that little surprise would've been a good idea," cried Zelda as she buried herself into Link's hospital clothes. She loved the feeling of his hands as they gently moved from her legs to rub her back repeatedly, but very slowly so as to calm the troubled girl once more. She had stayed awake the entire amount of hours that Link was unconscious and thus needed sleep terribly so.

"Shhh, love, it's okay. You're alright. I promise I will never ever do something like that again. Your surprise was well-timed as it was my birthday. I was wrong to have done what I did and I…I hope you can forgive me…"

Zelda looked into her love's glassy eyes and seeing the dark circle under his eye she had kissed the very first time she had shown love to Link, she once again gently placed her sweet lips upon that imperfection and raised her mouth up to whisper into Link's ear.

"You are forgiven"

Link was overjoyed and once more melted at the pure grace of this girl that she could forgive a coward like him for acting upon his stupid instincts.

"Thank you so much, dear. You saved me from death and breathed new life into me with your love. You are my angel. I belong to you"

Link proclaimed these last words with so much conviction and sincerity that Zelda completely lost it. She kissed the life out of the honorable man. Tenderly stroking the beautiful girl's sleep-deprived face, Link returned her kiss with one that sent fireworks of affection surging through her body. Link and Zelda kissed each other harder and fiercer than before now. Link's arms encircled around Zelda's lithe waist and her hand caressed his calloused face.

"You look so tired," stated Link in a worried tone as he ran a hand through Zelda's beautiful, golden hair.

Zelda grabbed Link's hand with both of hers and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of Link's love as she held it to her face. Neither one wanted this moment to end. The girl kicked off her shoes before climbing back onto Link's bed. Like before, she entangled her smooth legs with Link's and rubbed her feet against his ever so lovingly. The feel of his rugged, masculine legs sent shivers up her spine. Link never thought he would have gotten so lucky. Zelda, his princess, the girl of his dreams, his savior, had ended up with him. Link pulled his love so close to him that all that separated the two was Link's temporary hospital patch attached to his stomach. Kissing Link again, Zelda asked lazily, "Am I hurting you?"

"No, Zelda. You are soothing me," Link whispered back, his affections towards her becoming more relaxed. Link crushed his rough, chapped lips to Zelda's perfect, rosy ones one last time and let out a gigantic sigh of love.

"I love you, Zelda" Link whispered as he fell to trailing kisses down Zelda's neck.

"I love you too, Link" Zelda whispered back, tenderly nuzzling her head alongside her loyal companion's.

The couple wrapped themselves in each other's arms and slowly drifted to sleep. Link was comforted knowing that love had finally found him.

He would never again be hurt.

He would never again have to hide in the shadows.

The princess had rescued her emotionally-wounded hero from the depths of death and cured his depression with her unconditional love.

Such love is so scarce in a world of selfishness, anger, and despair, but Link had found it.

Proverbs 16:9- "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps"