A/N: Boy, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to continue this story but alas, I never got to. Whether by actual time constraints or my own petty laziness on the side, I haven't touched much fanfiction … until now. Dun dun dun! So here we go, let's hope you guys remember enough so you don't have to go back. I'll try to make it as easy as possible… for now.

Through the Veil

"No Link," Silvia giggled. "What are you doing?"

Link's lips curved to an indulgent smile as they brushed against her ear again, parting enough to coax her lobe so that Link could nibble it. Our hero stopped the gentle teasing and in a hushed voice whispered into Silvia's ear, "I'm only showing you how much I care for you, Silvia." And as those words escaped his lips, Silvia's earlobe began to be teased by his lips and tongue once again.

"Link," she said softly, her eyes beginning to close gingerly. "We can't do this…."

"I can't show you how much of I love you?" Link teased into her ear. But before Link began to kiss his way to Silvia's delicate lips, Link's eyes flew open as his head snapped back. He looked around to see himself back in his throne room, on his throne. Everything that had passed through his mind, eyes, and other places might've seemed real to himself but Link realized that it was just a dream. A dream that came to Link as he dozed on the throne and messed with his mind. Link let out a breath, a tad displeased that it was only a dream. No doubt. And because it was a dream, then that meant Link found himself in reality, where his foes had escaped from his grasp not once but twice. All thanks because of that little… whatever had Silvia's face on it. A woman that caused more mayhem and migraine for Link than any other thing but she had Silvia's face. What could Link do about that? She seemed to be quite adept at handling herself, much like Silvia.

Link thought back to the events that transpired earlier that day. He had cornered Zelda and her group and a little while longer and he could've captured them again. With Zelda and company out of the picture again, Link didn't have much else to worry about. But no, once he had them where he wanted them, in came that doppelganger who easily managed to steer the turn of events to Zelda's favor. Before Link could put a stop to their escape, that thing caused a distraction long enough for Zelda to disappear from his sight. And the more Link thought about it, the tighter his fist clenched. He only let them go because he knew how they thought. He did used to stop evil for a living after all. He knew that Zelda would come back along with her two redhead wingmen to win the crown back. And when they did, Link would be ready for them and he would show them what the price was for the trouble they put him through. With a curved smile, he knew that they would pay in full.

All he had to do was wait.

And that was when the doors to the throne room opened and in walked Link's beloved Silvia. The look on her face told Link that she wasn't willing to listen – more like get seduced by – whatever Link had to say. Link would be able to do something about that though. He was confident enough that he could coax himself back into her favor. "Silvia, is there something troubling you?" Link asked, his blue eyes gazing into her from across the room. He propped himself back up and gave an innocent smile to his one and only.

"Link," Silva began as she walked up to him. It hurt to look at him the same way as before. More because she knew that Link meant it in good will, but there was a line that many people including him could not cross. Disrespecting the goddesses themselves was one of them. Taking one's duty and power for granted was another. Betraying all those who loved him made it a list. A list that still had more coming for all the things Link had done in his quest to become Hyrule's deserved king. Link was still Link and Silvia didn't want to abandon him like the others had. If anything, he would need her more than she needed him. "You've done a lot of things for Hyrule but this time, you have gone too far. Link, you should've known better. Who knows what's going to happen with what you've done." Silvia locked her gaze with his as she climbed up the levels to meet him eye to eye, "Maybe-"

"Silvia," Link softly said, gazing into her eyes. Her own blue eyes mirrored his own eyes back at him. He took a deep breath as he reached out for her touch. His palm gently caressed her cheek, "I know what I did but it's for the best. You trusted me before, keep with it because you know I mean no harm to Hyrule or its people." No sooner did those words leave Link's lips that the look on his face changed. In a darker tone, "Not unless they become to unruly and believe that woman Zelda and think that I'm no good. Then I have to convince them otherwise."

Silvia eyed Link curiously. She had been catching the moments when Link had started to behave like someone unfamiliar. This time it was more evident than before. His very mannerisms began to shift to those unrecognizable. Leave it to a Sheikah to notice the subtle differences of someone she cares about. "You don't sound like yourself, Link."

"People change, Silvia," Link said as he continued to look into her eyes. "sometimes out of necessity. I'm no longer just a humble man, I'm the king of this country and on top of fixing everything that the old royal family neglected. That takes a lot out of me and thankfully I always have you." Link leaned in, his lips about to touch Silvia's before he muttered, "And you always make the difference." His lips were gently placed on hers. Link's deep kiss sent shivers down Silvia's spine as she melted into him. When Link broke their kiss, his eyes opening to look at her, he asked "Aren't I still myself?"

Silvia fought it for too long. After so long, she could finally admit it. Link's kisses shifted every so often. She always could feel, taste, the difference but how could she admit it? How could she genuinely believe that Link was turning into someone else? Someone other than she loved and longed for. But Silvia saw the truth at the Shadow Temple. Link was still Link in many ways but he was someone else entirely other times. He remained that innocent man who only wanted to share his love but he also turned into a forceful and forward individual. That one usually came out when Silvia tried to get the truth out of Link. She should've seen it coming. "No, you aren't, Link."

"Excuse me?" he asked, teasingly.

Silvia simple looked at him, unwavering. "You're not yourself, Link," she softly spoke. "You haven't been yourself for a while now. Ever since you decided to raise your sword against the old royal family you've been different. You aren't the hero who gave up on almost everything in his life to safe Hyrule. Even if you did change, you wouldn't change that much. Not unless you had thoughts like that in the first place… and you wouldn't be the Hero of Time if you did."

He sat on his throne, looking a Silvia and letting what she had said settle. Moments passed, seconds dragged on for ages until his eyes tore from her gaze. He stood up from his stolen throne. He kept his gaze toward the ground. He was as if he was thinking over everything, from the time he step foot into the Shadow Temple to what Silvia just said. He quietly stood there. Anyone else would've tried to make Link snap out of it. Silvia on the other hand gave him the moments he needed to collect himself. And it wasn't too long after that he looked back up to Silvia, his gaze back to their usual softness. He was about to say something before it seemed like Link decided against saying it. He tried again and this time something came out. "You really think I'm not myself anymore Silvia?" he asked, softly. "That something must be wrong with me?"

"I'm not sure," Silvia answered. Once again, she was caught off guard by Link's arms wrapping themselves around her. Kisses were one thing; just being spontaneously held was another. Silvia did realize the best thing to do was to put her own arms around Link. He brought her in closer as she returned his embrace, their bodies being pressed against each other firmly.

"I don't feel any different," Link whispered. "Don't worry Silvia. I know it looks bad but it isn't." He took a step back to get a better look at Silvia. Before she could utter anything else, Link leaned in to give her a chaste kiss. And as Silvia realized it was her Link kissing her, giving into the kiss and returning it, that kiss grew deeper.

Deep enough that Silvia was caught off guard as Link slipped his tongue into her mouth, playing with hers. Surprised, but not in a bad way. Silvia began to enjoy Link's taste until she felt his hand creeping somewhere. Putting her hand on his, effectively stopping his advancement, she also broke the kiss off. Of course, one look at her and you can tell she really liked their time alone. Silvia stared into Link's eyes, "Link, as much as I really like when you do that… here isn't the pla-"

Again, Link silenced her with a kiss. Not as chaste as the one that started all of this and in no way did it remain just a simple kiss. Link took it a step farther and began to kiss down Silvia's neck. He smiled as Silvia tilted her head the opposite direction so he could have an easier time necking her. But it wasn't long before he felt a bit of pressure against his chest as Silvia tried to make him stop. That was when yet another person thought they had to come into the throne room. This time they were louder about it too.

The doors violently swung open as Link stopped what he was doing with Silvia and looked. Silvia managed to regain her composure and looked over to the new arrival to see one of Hyrule's finest coming forward, his armor clinking against itself with each step he took. He was Sir Blake and he was the first of a couple more guards and knights that soon followed him. One thing both Link and Silvia both noticed was that the coming knights didn't look like they just wanted to talk. Quite the opposite, really. They came into the throne room with their favored weapons at hand and short sword at their belts. They looked more like they were marching toward battle than seeking audience with their king. And Blake looked like the ringleader, the one who had organized this little rebel group. We can only imagine how this may turn out for the knights of Hyrule who were only doing what Link claimed to be doing: protecting Hyrule.

"What can I do for you, Sir Blake?" Link smugly asked. "It's not every day that you like to come talk to me."

Blake stopped and waited for the rest of his group to join behind him. His eyes were fixated on Link the entire time until the last of his group caught up. Blake looked backwards to give one last final nod to his warriors and turned back to Link. "You said you knew what was best for Hyrule and you would be its ruler. I have a problem with that," Blake said. He unsheathed his long sword and kept it at his side, "There wasn't any problem with our last king. Don't worry, it's not just me who thinks that way either. What you are isn't a benevolent monarch but a usurping tyrant. The people may be living in bliss as you started to change Hyrule to what you may want but the royal guard and the army isn't falling for it. Especially me. We're demanding that you tell us where our king is and relinquish your position, Hero."

"Sounds like you've been doing your job, Blake," Link said as he began to descend the few steps from the throne to the knights' level. "But I'm not going to do all that you ask of me. As a king, I can decline any requests that anyone might have of me. And I'm declining yours. There is no more of the past monarchy. I'm the present and I am Hyrule's future." Link stopped in front of Blake and locked eyes with him. "Did you think that just you can ask those things of me by walking in here bearing arms? That has happened one too many times for my liking. But I will give you a chance to walk away right now Blake. Turn around with your people and don't bother me again or I will severely punish you for treason."

"You're the only one who should be tried for treason," Blake spat.

"And you think you're the one to carry out my sentence?" Link mockingly asked.

"Don't tempt me," Blake uttered.

"Looks like you don't have many options left, Blake," Link said as he turned around and began to walk to his throne. "You either do what I say or… face the consequences of trying to rally against me. One is slightly better than the other but the choice is up to you." Link turned around to face Blake again, "Don't make a foolish mistake."

Blake's grip on his sword tightened. He knew it might end up bad. He didn't think he had another choice. Giving up meant that he was going back on his oath and he knew that his men would still follow him with whichever decision he made. Lucky him that he didn't have any cowards on his team. He picked and chose who he had wanted to come along with him. That's why his faith in his men was strong. And he hoped that it was enough to keep them alive. "You know me Link," Blake said. He wasn't going with either of the options Link had given him. Blake picked up his sword and pointed it at Link, "I'm going to try you for treason."

Link sighed. He had hoped that one of Hyrule's finest wouldn't do that. He was prepared for it though. With a snap of his fingers, the shadows of the knights came to life and formed into the image of their creator. They were dark Links, the one form of magic that the original loved to use. And at once they swarmed the men. That wasn't all though, not by a mile. More dark Links began to form from other shadows. And all of them went after the concentrated group of knights that formed into a tight circle. A good attempt at trying to hold their own, but the numbers would soon add up.

And they did.

Blake found himself overwhelmed and growing tired. Every time he cut one of the shadow warriors down, two took its place. Soon enough, he felt his arms being seized along with the rest of his group. He looked to see Link walking toward him with a smug look on his face.

"Looks like you're going down to the prison cells for now, Blake," Link said. "Don't think that'll be the end of it. That's just the beginning."

The shadows took Blake down into the dark as he cursed Link's name. Link looked back to the throne to see Silvia walking toward him.

"You shouldn't need to make any point," Silvia said. "He's not going to do anything when he's imprisoned. Leave it as is." She had watched Link as he dealt with the knights that had stormed in. She wasn't too happy on how Link handled it and she didn't want to think about what he might do to them later. Silvia had to draw the line for Link if he wasn't. Silvia stopped in front of Link and put a hand on his shoulder. "Link, you have to stop this. Do you want to prove Blake right by abusing your position like you're doing? How is this going to benefit Hyrule?"

Link's gaze on Silvia turned cold, "I can't let them get away with what they have done. You should know that keeping prisoners without a punishment allows for more chances of a repeat. I'm not going to have that." He put his own hands on Silvia's waist. "They think I'm not what's best for Hyrule. That alone tells me that they don't have our great country at heart. So I am doing something that benefits Hyrule. I'm keeping it safe."

Silvia tried to get away from Link's touch. Each time he got close to her, she couldn't help but melt in his arms. Silvia knew that she had to keep her composure. She wasn't letting Link sweet talk her. That sounded a little familiar. But, once Silvia was out of Link reach, she continued. "No, you're not. Your becoming what Blake called you and what you fought against. You didn't take the crown from Zelda's father to become what you set out to protect. A tyrant isn't what Hyrule's needs, it needs a good king."

"And you're saying I'm not a good king?" Link asked.

Silvia eyed Link as she thought of the best way to answer his question. It was difficult, to say the least. Link fell right on the line between good and bad when it came to Hyrule. On one hand, he didn't plunge the land into darkness or enslaved the people. He hardly did anything that changed the old way of ruling. Except for a few key things. Hyrule's people were all well and good, which is important. But Link did come to power through force and his policies when dealing with those who rose against him were very cruel. Not to mention, Link had gone into the Shadow Temple. Silvia didn't want to think of the horrors she found when she went inside. It was hard enough to think that Link would want to do such a thing and it's something else to know he succeeded. Whether it was Link or whatever was wrong with him, one of those two turned their backs on Zelda, Malon... and even Vincent. They were his old friends. And the tight ship he was running in the castle with all his shadow minions didn't bode well.

"You aren't what you had hoped to be, Link," Silvia said. "You haven't been a good king. A semi-ideal ruler, maybe… but not a good king."

"Good to know that you think that way, Silvia," Link softly said, the chill from his cold tone gripped at Silvia. Link turned on his heel and began to walk away from her and out of the throne room. Probably to attend to the matters he needed to. Such as Blake. "I'd like to have you for dinner, Silvia," he said as he walked away. "Maybe our night will end better." Currently, with Link you can't be sure what he really means by that anymore. "Will you join me?" he asked before he took that one last step out of the throne room.

"Yes, I'll join you," Silvia answered. She knew that she must've dealt some blow to Link. But she had come to facts that Link wasn't being Link. She really hoped that her Link was the one who wanted to end their night well. Her Link, not the lecherous octorok that loved to get his hands around Silvia. "So I'll see you later tonight?" she asked.

He didn't give an answer other than a simple 'yes' as he walked out of the throne room, leaving Silvia to herself.

Silvia sighed. She had no idea what she was going to do with Link. She wasn't about to leave him. That option was crossed off the list. But she knew better than to stand idly by and let Link do whatever he pleased. She was sure of one thing, because of what he did; Link got a surge of power that made him cocky. Not the same kind like Vincent's arrogance but definitely cocky. He was sure that there wasn't anything that could stop him. But Silvia thought it was amusing that her own shadow copy managed to get under Link's skin these past few days. Silvia prayed that when it did come down to it she didn't need to be the one that ended it all. If only she could set Link straight then things wouldn't get hairy. And the way things were going with Blake and Zelda; things were going to be more than just hairy.

Blake. Silvia wondered exactly why Sir Blake thought what he did. Maybe she didn't catch something Link had done but there had to be a reason why Blake wasn't happy with him. There seemed to be more to it than just a loyalty to the old king. And at that, Silvia knew her next stop. She needed to ask some questions to Sir Blake. Hopefully, her faith in Link held true so that she may not see Blake a bloody mess. And as she descended the castle down to the dungeons, her worry grew. When she got there, she didn't find either Link or a bloody Blake. She just found Blake along with the rest of his men. As always, they were being guarded by those shadow Links.

Silvia didn't like dark Links. Something about them didn't rub her the right way.

"Sir Blake, may I have a word with you?" Silvia asked as she reached the barred cell.

"What do you want?" Blake answered with a question. He was sitting on his prison bunk, hunched forward. He didn't shoot any look at Silvia when she addressed him and kept his eyes at the floor. He took a deep breath, "What would I have that you want to know?"

"Answers. I want to know why you felt you should organize a coup against Link today. What motive do you have that would put you and your men in danger?" Silvia asked, her eyes on Blake.

Blake looked up at her and got up from his bunk. He walked towards the bars and lean against them, his arms through the slot where they handed prisoner's meals. "I thought I had made it clear. I don't think Link should be the one in charge. Nothing was wrong with our old king and some of the men thought the same way. Sure, we knew that Zelda was going through a 'phase'." Blake put air quotes around that last word. "But we knew that when it would come down to it, she would be queen on the same level as her father," he added. "You also only see Link when he's being a good boy. Though, if that's what his good side is, there's not much of a big difference. You should go out and see how he drills the guard. There's also always what he's doing on the borders of Hyrule too…"

"What's he doing?" Silvia asked, this being the first time she ever heard of that.

"Oh, so you don't know about it? Figures," Blake said. "Good thing you came to me then. Your Link has been busy as of late setting up tolls so he may charge people coming and going and he's been adding sentries. At the most northern and southern ends, he's also been rallying troops at those points like he's about to go out and conquer at any moment. Not to mention that his choice in which soldiers to send is a bit so-so. In my opinion, he's finding the most morally lacking of soldiers to fill those spots… probably to give a sense of fear to travelers when they come across those guys."

"You can't be serious," Silvia said. "Link would never do that. Why would he?"

"Why? Why else would he? Why would anyone want to? Because they're beginning to want more. Link wants more than just Hyrule and he's making a small move to make our neighboring powers a little worrisome," Blake stood straight as he looked at Silvia before he began to make his way back to his bunk. "But if you don't believe me, why don't you check for yourself. I have no reason to make up stuff against Link. I got enough dirt on him as is."

Silvia stood there and glared at Blake for a few more moments before she decided she wasn't going to get anything else from him. But as she took a few steps away, Blake called out to her. Silvia decided to see what he wanted. She looked back at him as he was standing to talk to her again.

"I want to know something," Blake said.

"What is it?" Silvia asked.

"What are you going to do when you confirm what I just told you? You going to let pass under the bridge and pretend it doesn't happen or are you going to do something about it?" Blake asked.

"Sir Blake," Silvia said. He did have a point. Silvia didn't want to believe but if she saw if for her own eyes… then what? What would she do? After taking a few moments to figure it out, she looked to Blake. "I'm going to do what I am going to do. We shall see how the situation needs me to figure out what I am going to do. And until then, you will also remain in your cell. I doubt," more like hope, "that Link won't put you or your men in any harm."

And with that, Silvia left Sir Blake and she left the dungeon. She had a lot on her mind and everything just kept adding more to it. Though with everything that was going on, she knew she had to confirm what Blake had told her first. From there she would continue. Without knowing anything, Silvia was going to be stuck. She concentrated her power and reached out into Hyrule. Everywhere and anywhere that there was shadow she could gaze upon. Her vision went far, passed the ranch, the river, and the woods. Passed all of that until she reached Hyrule's borders where she could see how Hyrule was kept.

That's where she saw that everything Blake had told her was right. Sentries and poll personnel were scattered along the border side. If that wasn't the end of it, the many small villages that were on the borders were being hassled by the soldiers Blake had mentioned. Those soldiers bothered women and haggled the old. They were definitely not a good example of Hyrule's finest.

Silvia took a deep breath. She hoped things wouldn't crumble before her as she tried to remedy Hyrule.

"If you could've gotten us out of there so easily, why couldn't you get us in there like that?" Vincent asked, a little agitated at Aivlis.

"Like I said, I didn't say I was going to help you get in there. That was all you guys. But if Link had caught you, then that definitely would've done more bad than good. And I just couldn't have that. Why don't you just calm down cutie, your safe and sound now, aren't you?" she answered, sitting crossed-legged on thin air.

"Those two haven't shut up since we got back," Malon said as she drank a cup of coffee at the table in Vincent's kitchen. "If they don't stop soon, I'm going to have to shut up Vincent myself."

"I know Malon," Zelda said. "But we got bigger things to worry about. At least the two of us do. Aivlis makes it clear that she'll only help if it suits her. And Vincent is smart, but he's not the tactics type. You and I can figure out a way to wrap things up with Link, once and for all."

"That's why I'm here," Malon said as she turned to face Zelda. "Where do we start?"

"By praying that we don't have to kill Link to defeat him," Zelda said to herself, a tear running down from her eye. That was her only thought, and she didn't want anyone else to try to help with that. Everything was her fault and she wanted to be the one to fix it. Princess Zelda wasn't going to let Hyrule lose Link because of her mistakes.