A/N: Dude, it's been a long time hasn't it? Well, I had to move and that took longer than expected and after that I haven't been doing much. I've been doing a few illustrations but nothing that should've made me stop writing. But I did, getting ready to go to college and seeing the woman of my dreams helped me procrastinate. But, here's the new chapter, enjoy!
Shadow of Its Former Self
Royal guards, knights, and soldiers, the bulk of the Hylian army crowded around in the throne room. Of course even with their high number, only the most important and high ranking officials were invited in. After all, they were the ones that had to be swayed, not the real troops themselves. The throne room wasn't that big of a room to accommodate that many people. But as they had received news to attend, they couldn't help but wonder what the reason they were being called together for was. And then one mentioned that the King, Impa, or Princess Zelda hadn't been seen for a while. And that helped spread an ill rumor that someone had murdered them in the night. But that story changed a bit from person to person. Sometimes a there was an assassin, other times some monster that feasted on dreams, and another said that the King committed murder/suicide. But a few soldiers decided to dismiss those claims. They figured the King had something to say that was important, or at least in the old ruler's eyes. Like… Princess Zelda and Link finally getting engaged after years of pent up emotion between the two. Some of them use to egg both of them, trying to see if one would open up but they figured to let things take their course. They wanted to believe that in time they'd fall in love and end up with one another.
But one of the knights didn't feel like waiting around. He had things to finish and he liked to use his time wisely instead of waiting around for some lousy announcement. So as he walked through the doors to the throne room, some of the armored army looked away from his gaze. And as he stepped into the crowd, they provided him with a clear passageway. He got up to the throne and stepped up a step and turned around. His blue eyes pierced into each soldier and left them a little speechless. He was Blake, the best of the best and leader of the oldest order of knights in Hylian history. Only ten were ever admitted at a time and he decided who would. He looked around in the crowd, "So this is how some captains and lieutenants prefer doing. Reminiscing about something that happened last night while waiting to be given some news about Hyrule's daughter?" Blake was a sourpuss, and obviously he believed the King was just going to announce that his daughter was going to get married. "I'd rather get some work done than wait around for something I could care less about."
And then there was a hand placed on Blake's shoulder. The rest of the soldiers looked up to see the Sheikah that guards, or guarded if you know better, the Princess Zelda. She looked down from the higher step to Blake with a stern look on her face. Blake wasn't on good terms with Silvia right then. And it was made apparent with Drakeus giving him his little version of an evil eye at Blake as he floated next to Silvia. The soldiers that looked at Silvia remained quiet because they knew each and every one of them had very little chance against her. She was a Sheikah, the niece to Impa – the strongest Sheikah that they knew about. And it was a shame because they would never think about coming at her at once. Though there still wouldn't be much of a difference in the outcome.
"Sir Blake, calm down before you start an uproar," Silvia said with a tone of indifference in her voice. She had enough patience for the soldiers, but not for the obnoxious knights. "This is a very important announcement and I'm sure your duties can wait for a few minutes at least." She removed her hand from his shoulder. It had been enough to make Blake shut it.
"Thank you Silvia," Link said as he appeared at last. That had caused a bit of a confused murmur to spread throughout the crowd. Link smiled down at Silvia and bent down to kiss her gently on the cheek. This made her blush and caused even more confused talk spread from soldier to knight to guard. He looked down to Blake who had stepped down and joined the other in looking up to Link with a look of wanting explanation. "I understand that some of you are a little curious why I called you all here today. And you're probably wondering what has happened with the King and the princess. I will explain that. But not before I tell you that I am Hyrule's current leader for now."
And that caused a couple people raise their voices in shouts and questions. They had no idea what Link was talking about. Some were simply angry that it was Link that was in charge of Hyrule and not someone that had the respect and the experience to rule a country. They all wanted answers from Link's bold statement. They wanted to know how did he become what more or less equaled the King of Hyrule without marriage to Zelda. He wasn't even with Zelda at that, from what they could've gathered, they figured that he was with Silvia. And no one saw that coming at all. They never would've thought that Link would end up with the Sheikah at all. He and Zelda seemed like the favored pairing, every other one was casted aside.
Link raised his hand and soon enough, everyone managed to calm down. He looked throughout the crowd, locking eyes with a few of the men. He looked over to Silvia that stood beside him, her Sheikah persona was out. He smiled a bit, how easily he could peel away the guard she put up by a simple kiss on the cheek. But with his eyes on her, Silvia caught that and looked over to him. She caught his smile and brightened a little red and looked away from his blue gaze. Link was that kind of man after all. And he turned back to the crowd.
"Hyrule is, without a doubt, the greatest country in our world. We rule dominate over the smaller little states and countries, often letting them stay in our shadow. And this great country of ours deserves someone who can make the best decisions, the kind that can take Hyrule from where it is and take it higher than it has been and make it the golden land that the Goddesses' locked away from us. And you know why? Because we have to earn it, we have to prove ourselves; we have to make it for ourselves because we cannot count on the Goddesses all the time. Unfortunately, Hyrule was heading into a dark era. And the cause of it all was one little princess who was more self-centered and more self indulged than anyone else I have ever seen."
Silvia thought about if Link had ever really gotten to know Vincent more.
"And our King," Link added, using 'King' in name only and not as a title. "Never did a thing about it. He sat by while his daughter, Hyrule's daughter, the woman that is supposed to take over after his passing of the crown began to fulfill her own sinful desires. And if there has to be proof for you people to believe me, I'm sure most of you have heard of the legend of the Gerudo-like example that Vincent Dante Aegis
II is." He let that sit for a moment. He knew Vincent's so-called past that only extended to two years back, and he knew that there had to be someone out there, if not quite a few, that knew of it. And Link chose his words carefully, he knew the point he was conveying. "And if anything else had to be said about our 'fair' princesses' morals, she scooped Vincent up into her bed after he was severely distraught after losing the love of his life. Some character our princess is."
"I have a question," Blake said as he stood onto the steps one more time. He wasn't so willing to just let Link be King without even trying. "What makes you the better candidate to rule Hyrule? And, on that note, where are the King and princess?"
"I have fought tooth and nail times before. I risked life and limb many times. I stood in front of evil time and time again. I have been through many hells to keep Hyrule safe, to keep everyone worry free. I know what it takes to keep this country safe and running smoothly. I know what to do and what not to do. I lived with the general populace long enough to know what they want, what they need, and what it takes to be fair and strict. Benevolence is what I'm bringing. And," Link raised his fist and it emitted a dark aura around it. "I have what it takes to keep you returning back home to your wives and children. I know the pain it is to lose someone you care about and I'm sure you don't want your children to grow up without you and your wives widows. Trust me, I'm the better choice. And make sure to spread the good news around."
And while the crowd began to murmur, Link turned around and began to walk away. Silvia looked at him and turned back to the crowd. After they had caught that Link was walking away, they took that as a sign that the announcement was over. One of them, Blake, still stood there as his cohorts were beginning to walk away. He shook his head and joined the rest of them as they walked through the doors. Silvia noticed that Link didn't bother to answer the second question from Blake, and apparently the knight did as well. But Silvia knew that Link not telling them was a better idea than telling them. He had won them over quickly and easily. She knew Link was very charismatic and all, but it had to take more than that to win over an entire room of soldiers. After all, a lot of them had their positions because of the King. She wondered what else did Link picked up while he was in the Shadow Temple. What other powers was he able to unlock? There seemed to be more at work than just him, and Silvia couldn't get that thought out of her head.
"Link," Silvia started as she was walking up to him, already in a corridor. "I know that with the army at our side, we're one step closer for the rest of Hyrule to accept you as its new ruler. But how did you get an entire assembly to just go along with you like they were sheep and you were the herder?"
Link stopped and turned to look at her, a smile was on his face. She stood a step away from him which he quickly crossed so he could be right there in front of her. He gently removed the strands of hair that fell into her sapphire eyes and stared deeply into them. He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. He returned to his full height, "Silvia, the shadows are great friends, a great and powerful ally. And I learned more than just clones in the temple, but what else I have… I really don't know either. The shadows could've helped me spread some of my influence right now, but I didn't put any other effort to it other than my speech."
"Link," she said, not sure what else to add. She believed him but… there just seemed to be something he wasn't telling her. And Silvia could tell, she was a Sheikah and she knew Link for a long time. But she would make him tell her later. He seemed set on not telling her just yet. So she would wait, until she wanted to know again. And she would not let Link get away from her again. She would get him to talk one way or another. "Alright. How about if we-"
She was cut short by his lips on hers, this kiss not as simple or as quick as the one from before. It was a deep and passionate one. One that made her weak at the knees as she gave into the kiss, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. He slowly broke the kiss and cupped her cheek in his rough hand. Silvia looked into his eyes and he gazed down at hers. "Link," she said with a faint blush in her cheeks and fluster in her voice, "There's time for that later. We still have more to handle before we can call it a night you know."
"Yeah, I know," Link said as he brushed back some of her hair. "But there's time for that now too. I don't like waiting sometimes."
Silvia blushed one more time and looked away as Link smiled down at her. He removed his hand from her face and beckoned for her to come along as he began to walk. She took a deep breath and walked along side Link. But she had another thing to bring up. It was her duty, after all, to aid the ruler of Hyrule. She had to do thing that would benefit the great country. And if Link forgot something, she had to bring it up for him so he could look at it. And there was one thing she was sure he didn't forget, but he had neglected to look into it. Silvia knew it was imperative for Link to check up on it. "Link, it's been a few days already," she started. "Aren't you supposed to check upon our guests? I know you're not much into caring about them but I thought you would have already would of tried to sway them onto our side. Now you know that the King might not but it's still worth a try you know…"
"Silvia, Silvia," Link said as he walked. "Where do you think we're going? I had to let them sit and cool down a bit. I couldn't have tried to when I had just put them into their cells. But don't worry, we'll talk to them. After all, what kind of friend or ruler would I be if I didn't try to bring my friends over to my side where they will be much better off than in a prison cell?"
Cold and dark, you could not get any straighter to the point than that. The dungeons of Hyrule castle were just that as well, nothing more. What little light there was came from the few in between lit torches that were kept lit by some miracle for the prisoners. But those cells haven't been used for their original intention for quite a while. No one had been down there in ages… except until recently. Now there were a few people that kept the rats company, having to suffer the lonely darkness and unforgivable dank dreary that accompanied being down there. But it was made all worse since three of them had a very thick tension between them. And they weren't at all happy. If one could've been while they were detained against their will. And that's how they were for nearly seven days. Seven says since they were captured, easily, by the Hero of Time. The Hero that was supposed to protect all of the people in Hyrule, he was the one that brought them to such a gloomy place.
And by some sort of magic, even Impa couldn't pick the lock so that they could escape. Whoever designed the cells made sure no one would escape.
And Impa sighed in frustration for what could be the umpteenth time since she had been in there and threw her long needles to the ground. Nothing had worked in getting out of the cell and she just had to accept that she would be in there until Link decided to be generous and release them. Like that would ever happen kept running in her mind. She looked over to the King who was in the same cell she was in. His dark golden hair looked terrible. And his beard was ravaged. But he still kept a smile on his face as he looked over to Impa. She couldn't help but let out a deep breath. She would never know how he was able to be so bright, to look into despair and smile in any situation. She kept that envious thought to herself. Impa always did want to know how to do that.
She looked away from the King and peered out of the bars that made her cell. She knew that princess Zelda was in the cell next to hers. Even though there were stone walls blocking her from seeing her. They had been in there long enough to know where everyone was at. But right across from princess Zelda was the cell that held both Vincent and Malon, together at the same time. Impa questioned how pure were Link's intentions. There was enough to question it beforehand. How he stormed into the castle and forced himself as king, dethroning the previous one and locking everyone who had tried to stop him in the dungeons. But then he organized them in such a fashion that it could only be called torture. Princess Zelda had to watch Malon and Vincent in the same cell together. Though Impa doubted that much could happen, there was a strong possibility. The two redheads shared a very pure and innocent love and though it has faltered a bit, together they remain strong. But Link did put the two of them together, knowing they had many skeletons in their closets to clean out. And that would cause for plenty of tension between the two.
Vincent and Malon sat in their cell, silent like they had nothing to talk about. Absolute lie but that's how they were. Vincent and Malon sat on opposite ends of the cell, both of them on their cot. At least Link remembered to deliver proper sleeping places. But they sat there, Vincent looking out at nothing. Sometimes on a spot on the floor. Other times a spot on the ceiling. But not Malon, her eyes were just focused on Vincent. And by the way he had kept his gaze away from hers, she knew that he felt extremely guilt about what he did. And he blamed himself about it, no other room for anything else.
"Vincent, can we talk?" Malon asked, her eyes focused on the leaned over Vincent, who had his arms supporting himself on the bed. His red hair covered his red eyes with little problem.
And then they heard the steel door that led into the dungeons open… loudly. Vincent looked up and Malon turned. Zelda walked to the bars and looked out. Impa and the King didn't budge much. Impa still stood there, though she did cross her arms. She had to keep her appearance that their current situation wasn't bothering her that much. For anyone. But it came like a bit or surprise when it was Link, followed by Silvia, walking into the dungeons. He walked in with that smile he had on when he kissed Silvia from before. He had his hands at his side as he waltzed in. He stopped in the pathway, in the middle so that he could face each cell when he turned to it. But he first looked at Zelda, who had her gloves fingers wrapped around the iron bars of the cell. Her appearance wasn't kept up like it used to be, but
underneath the filth and grime, the running make up was the beauty that Zelda inherently had. Her blue eyes were still exuberant as they always were, even when they were narrowed at Link for his defiance against the royal family.
"Don't try to bat those blue eyes at me, Zelda," Link said, cold and sarcastic. "They just don't cut it anymore."
"Link, think about this," Zelda said, trying to sound as reasonable as possible. "Do you realize that-"
"Zelda," he cut her off with a venomous tone. "Do you realize that you're just too papered and protected for your own good? You needed me to take care of Ganondorf for a reason. If I can take care of the greatest threat to Hyrule with minimal help - that I had to earn at that – why can't I decide what's good for Hyrule or not? I can that's why. And I decide that you aren't fit to lead this country." Link took a deep breath, "Forget it, it seems like you're not going to look at it my way anytime soon, Zelda."
"Hey Link," Vincent said as he got up from his bunk. He walked over to the bars and leaned against them, his arms hanging out through the bars. Malon questioned Vincent's acting ability. It wasn't just a moment ago that he was close to tearing his eyes out and now he was up with his smirk on his face. "Negotiations would work better if you just let us out. You know maybe we can sit down and have a nice discussion about all of this. Maybe we can get some tea and crumpets too. Those are good. And we can talk about who's siding with whom and who did what. That way we don't have any of this bad tension between us."
"Shut it Vincent," Link said as he turned around. He caught Vincent's red eyes with his blue ones. Vincent was indeed one of a kind. And very arrogant… Link had considered him a friend. A good one. One he had and did count on so many times before. But that was the past. And it was the present and Link wasn't sure he could keep his faith with Vincent. After all, Vincent didn't seem to care much after he did steal Zelda away. Even though that wasn't the entire truth. Vincent did succumb to Zelda. And that made him weak minded. And that was something Link couldn't afford to keep around him. He needed someone that wasn't going to sway when a better idea or proposition would arrive. "Would you like your swords back to? To stab me in the back once you decide that my generous offer isn't adequate."
"What offer?" Vincent asked.
"It's simple, Vincent," Link said. "You join me and you get out of here. Simple as that and you don't get to rot in here. Someone like you can appreciate such an offer, right?" Link asked.
Vincent narrowed his eyes and stood to his full height. "I think I can speak for everyone when I say this: We decline."
Link looked over to Malon who simply looked up at him before turning her attention back to Vincent. Link sighed and turned to Impa and the King who didn't say anything to him and had returned back into their cell's beds. Link shook his head. He would not understand what kind of pride kept them from making the best decision. But he decided not to dwell on it. He would let them sweat it out in the
dungeons for a few more nights. He hoped then they would make the better decision once he asked them again. After all, he knew that hardly no one would be able to stand being in the dungeons for another week, the place was unbearable. No one would be able to take two weeks in there. Hell, Link was already feeling the effects of the drear in the air. He looked at all of them once again before he walked away.
"Take the deal," Silvia said to Zelda. The suggestion was for everyone, though. But Silvia and Zelda had history together. And while there were plenty of times and many reasons why Silvia could decide not to care about Zelda anymore, there were a few that made Silvia stop and want her to be in a better situation. One doesn't just be someone's bodyguard and have just stoic emotions. Something develops between the two. Sometimes it romantic, other times it more akin to a sibling relationship. From birth till then did Silvia keep Zelda safe and while at times she felt like it was unjust, she did share something with Zelda. And it made her hope for better while she saw the princess in a dungeon cell. So she hoped that Zelda would reconsider.
"I'm sorry Silvia, I'm not going to," the princess answered. "I'm not going to give into Link. He isn't the King. If he truly cared about Hyrule… then he wouldn't have done it this way."
"Silvia," came from the hall before the dungeons. It was Link's voice.
And Silvia looked over to the open steel door to see Link not too far off. He was leaning against the wall, obviously waiting. She looked back to Zelda who had the face on her. The one that said it all: I'm not changing my decision. Although their bond was very strained, sisterhood wouldn't be too much of stretching the truth when it came down to it. That's what they were. And like many sisters, they always had their arguments. They always had days they got along. But, although they wouldn't ever admit it, they were as close as any sisters. They fought like sisters. They loved each other like sisters. And they hurt each other like sisters would. And there were those things that the other was jealous of the other. And no matter how Zelda treated Silvia, Silvia knew that deep down Zelda still loved her. Those little smiles at Silvia when they were alone proved that. And that's why it was so hard to see Zelda like that. But Zelda wasn't the leader for Hyrule Link could be.
Silvia nodded at Zelda, "I'll ask Link. We shouldn't keep you down here." She looked away and began to walk. She had to fight herself from releasing all of the captives but she knew it had to be done for the time. Link couldn't afford another event like what happened in the throne room a week ago. And Silvia wouldn't allow it. If that were to happen again, Silvia would have to be the one to take care of them. Link would use his shadows and until they found out what might happen with his soul being torn up like that, she knew it was best not to use them.
She reached Link. "Link, we have to talk," Silvia said as the two of them began to walk away.
Malon turned her attention over to the steel bars. She hugged herself and bit her bottom lip. Malon took a deep breath and looked up to Vincent. "What happened to Link? He used to be a great friend. He was always nice and always willing to help out. But now… he's just so cold. It sends shivers down my spine every time he talks. This can't be Link. He wouldn't do this to us… no matter what. It can't be
Link." And although it sounded like she was trying to prove it to the others, she was just proving it to herself. She and Link always had a beautiful friendship. They were the best of friends. She never would've expected that Link would be one to lead a coup against Hyrule. And to throw his friends into the dungeons? Malon could only just ask why.
And then Malon looked up as she felt Vincent's heavy jacket on her shoulders. She looked to her right as she watched Vincent sit beside her. He had one arm over her shoulder as he looked out to the bars. He stared out to Zelda who had gone back to her bed and sat on it, looking down at her interlaced fingers on her lap. Malon stared at Vincent's profile for a while before he started to speak.
"Link hasn't been himself for a while now. But the same thing can be said for all of us. Zelda grew up and I… well, you know what I did. I turned back on everything I said to you just because Zelda was there and let me in. Even Impa and the King have changed a bit, even if it's just their relationship. Although it seems that they seem a little bit more open about it and that they had it for a while."
"Vincent," Impa said sternly.
"Calm down, Impie, the boy is right after all," the King said in a much more light-hearted tone, a stark contrast to Impa. Opposites attract, and Impa and the King were quite opposite. It's really no wonder why they work.
Vincent smiled a bit. And that's was a reason why Malon fell in love with Vincent. He always took things so well. There was hardly a day that a smile left from his lips. And Malon looked down when she thought about how that smile must've been gone when she left. She took a deep breath and looked back up, "But what about Link? And Silvia… she… shouldn't she know better than to go against Hyrule. Isn't she doing the same thing many other Sheikah had done before in Hyrule's past? I mean, she is going against her princess and the crown doing this."
"Love makes you do strange things," Vincent explained, his voice lower than usual. "And Silvia has always had feelings for Link. And Link always had feelings for Zelda. You once had feelings for Link as well and I once had a very short infatuation with Zelda when I first met her. Though, I didn't expect that one to turn out like it did."
Zelda stayed quiet as Vincent explained. But she had to keep herself from saying or bursting out anything. She blamed herself for a lot of things. While she may have been angry with Link, she agreed with everything he said about her. She was just being an arrogant princess. She was just doing things for her own amusement. And she was the reason why Link decided to rise against Hyrule. She was the one that made Vincent and Malon so uncomfortable around one another. And she no doubt helped in making Silvia's decision in turning easier. Zelda didn't know what to do or think. She wanted to help, she wanted to stop being the princess so many people thought she turned into. She wanted to prove them wrong and make things right.
"Link had enough," Vincent said. "He took it out on us and this is where it got us. And Silvia joined him. And with her on his side, it's going to be tough to win over the throne again. I'm good. She's Sheikah
good. Not to mention by this time, Link must've already got most of the army on his side. The odds aren't good for us at all. But we can only try and snap Link to his senses or something. Get him to see that's he's wrong here." Vincent took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, "Though it aint going to be easy. Not at all."
Malon nodded and put her arms through Vincent's jacket's sleeves. It still had his warmth and smell on it. Malon missed that when she had gone with the Gerudo. And then it had hit her. She turned her attention to Vincent, "We may not have to wait that long!"
Vincent looked over to her, "What do you mean Malon?"
"I'm a Gerudo," she said as she perked up. "And the next one to lead the tribe once Nobooru passes it on to me. So they'll coming looking for me. And I told them I was going to be at the castle so that's where they might check here first! We might be able to get out of this sooner than expected. And if you and I can take down so many of Link's shadow dealies and a Gerudo and Sheikah can match blade to blade, maybe this can turn the tide. Maybe it won't be as hard as you think it is, Vincent!"
"We can't count on them right now," Zelda said as she stood up. She was facing over to Vincent and Malon but she was staring down. She had her hands to her side, clenched in fists. She shook her head and looked up to the redheads, her mascara running down from silent tears. "We can't! Right now we're stuck in here together. And together we can get out. If you guys trust me, I can get us out in a few. My magic isn't as strong as it used to be but I have a trick that can work. But first things first, I need time. I need time so I can get myself together and gather all the strength I have to make things right." She looked over from Vincent to Malon and then turned her attention to the wall, "Impa, I'm going to need your needles that you have with you. Somehow you managed to keep them and I'll need them later."
"You have them when you asked for them, my princess," Impa responded.
"Whoa, something triggered something in our little princess," Vincent said, a bit wide-eyed. He turned over to Malon, "But looks like she has a plan."
"And when we get out, would the Gerudo help, Malon?" Zelda asked, her attention on the young leader.
"I don't see why not," Malon said, a little confused about the new Zelda. She wasn't sure what to say about the young princess. From what she had gathered, Zelda had forsaken being a real ruler in favor of being a stuck up little rich girl but now, that wasn't case. Princess Zelda became the princess Malon once remembered. Always thinking about Hyrule and figuring out ways to get out of situations. And Malon's faith in her was rekindled. She believed Zelda would be able to get them out and then they would figure out a way to bring Link back to his senses. And that brought a smile to her face. And then Zelda turned her attention to Vincent, discussing about what may happen when they got out.
And Vincent, being Vincent, already just wants to go up to Link and slap the senses back into him.
Malon chuckled. Vincent always found room to sneak in something funny. Maybe the act was him being so sorrowful before. Or was he really just that extreme and when there was a glimmer of hope he would
grab hold and strangle it till something came that dampened his spirits. She would never know but she watched him discuss a set plan. Sort of. Vincent and Zelda never did work anything out other than the fact that rushing Link wouldn't work at all, much to Vincent's chagrin. But she noticed something in his pocket. Malon looked down at the small lump and reached into the pocket only for her finger to feel a box in velvet. Her eyes widened as she thought about what it might've been. She carefully took it out and stared down at it.
"Vincent?" she questioned, her voice quiet.
Zelda and Vincent stopped talking and he looked over to her. He saw the box in her hand and he went quiet. His skin lost whatever color it had and he looked away. He forgot that was there for her to figure out. She was cold, he had a jacket, it came only natural to give her his. But he didn't know what to do once she found the ring. He wasn't ready to get heartbroken again. It would be too much for him to handle. He couldn't sit there any longer as she kept her eyes on him and then the ring.
"You kept this?" Malon asked. She didn't know what to say. She didn't believe he would keep the ring that he proposed to her with. And, when she remembered how he had poured out his heart and soul for her, how he still kept it even after she said no, she smiled.
"Yes I did," Vincent said, waiting for the last blow to his heart.
Malon looked up to Vincent before she turned to the box and opened it. There sat the ring that she first looked at many months before. She plucked the ring from the soft tissue that kept it in place and looked at it for a moment. She then slipped it on her finger and looked at the golden ring against her dark skin. She looked over to Vincent, "Yes."
Vincent looked into her eyes. "Yes?" he questioned, repeating it aloud after she did.
"Yes," she answered again, more softer. "Once we set things right. Once we get Link to remember who he is."
"Alright," Vincent said with a smile on his face. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled like that before. He knew it was when he was with Malon. Or when he was thinking of her, he knew that much. But he didn't have time to rejoice just yet. He and Zelda had to make plans to make sure that the free world wouldn't fall into the hands of another tyrannical Triforce wielder. They had to create a way to get Link to remember that he was the Hero of Time, to remember that taking the crown wasn't the best way to assure a peaceful future for Hyrule. That stealing away the kingship from the previous wasn't the way to do it, whether or not his intentions were benevolent.
After all, most of the world's horrors started when people had the best intentions…
A/N: And there you go, a chapter done! I know, its been a long time. But I've been out of it. I had to move, I got Brawl, some issues I had to work out. But I have another chapter done and I couldn't be any happier. Hope you all enjoyed!
