Part Two

Malon hefted the bag of feed and dumped it into the trough in front of the cows. She loved the animals so much, but taking care of them was a little more than hard work. The cows gratefully mooed and began to devour the grain Malon had given them. "Oh, you guys like that, don't you?" said Malon, patting one of the cows' backs. Now she had to feed the chickens. Malon put the sack of feed back into the corner of the barn and picked up a bucket of corn kernels. She exited the barn and walked to a dry patch of ground where she always fed the chickens. She could see the many birds scattered throughout the ranch. Malon grabbed a handful of corn kernels and threw them onto the ground. Then, as if by magic, a huge flock of chickens came running towards her from all directions. Within seconds, dozens of clucking chickens were pecking at the ground. Malon dumped a few more handfuls of corn onto the dirt to make sure the chickens had enough to eat. She heard some more clucking behind her and turned to see if there were any chickens who were left out. She looked up to see that the source of the clucking was coming from the tree that grew right next to the feeding spot. She looked up at one of the lower branches to see three perfectly happy chickens staring down at her. "What are you guys doing up there?" shouted Malon to the oblivious chickens. "You know chickens aren't supposed to fly. Get down here this instant. It's supper time." Malon threw another handful of corn onto the ground, causing the chickens to flap their wings and float down from the low branch. The chickens happily pecked at the ground while Malon stared at them with disbelief. "How do you manage to get up into that tree?" Malon felt proud of her flying chickens. Everybody knew that chickens could fly a few feet, but no one knew of any that could fly into a tree. Of course, no one would ever believe her if she said that her chickens perched on tree branches.

After feeding the chickens, Malon returned to the barn and put the corn back into the corner. It was time for her to take a break. She always liked getting her chores done early so she could relax for the rest of the day. She walked over to the corral to check on the horses. These were the animals she loved the most. The horses looked so graceful, galloping across the vast ranch. Malon approached her favorite horse, Epona. When Epona saw Malon, the horse happily trotted over to Malon and gently nuzzled her. "Oh, Malon loves you too," said Malon in a baby-voice. She lovingly patted Epona's head and fed her an apple she'd been holding. "How's my little baby doing?" The horse grunted happily. "You miss Link, don't you? Well, I'll make him come over later. But guess who's coming over today? That's right, Solo is coming over. You remember her. She loves you too." Malon climbed onto the horse's back and tried to get comfortable. Epona was nearly full-grown, but they still hadn't fitted a saddle for her. But Malon always like bare-back riding; it seemed like more fun. The only equipment on the horse were the reins that she held on to.

Malon decided to take Epona for a couple laps around the ranch. She grabbed the reins and slapped Epona, causing her to begin running. Epona galloped across the ranch and Malon cheered as they completed the first lap. "Woo-hoo! It's a new world record, achieved by Malon the Magnificent! And the crowd goes wild!" Malon made fake cheering noises. She always had a knack for entertaining herself. Malon slowed the horse as she made it to the halfway point around the corral. The horse walked at a more leisurely pace and Malon simply enjoyed the beautiful day.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Malon noticed a figure walking near the entrance of the ranch. It couldn't be Ingo, he wasn't due back from his vacation yet. As she got closer, Malon saw that the person in question was wearing green clothes and had very long, blonde hair. "Oh, Epona, Solo is here. Giddyup!" The horse began to trot and they reached Solo in only a few seconds. Malon quickly dismounted Epona and ran up to Solo. As Malon approached Solo, she noticed that Solo was covering her right cheek with her hand. Upon closer inspection, Malon realized that Solo had been crying. She could see the small trails of tears flowing down her face. Malon ran up to Solo and put her hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" asked Malon with great concern.

Solo took a deep breath, and tried to gain control of herself. "I...I..." sniffled Solo. "Is there anywhere we could talk? Alone?" The serious tone in Solo's voice made her very concerned.

"Sure, let's go in my house," replied Malon, leading Solo the short distance to the house. Malon noticed that Solo never took her hand off her cheek, which made her feel suspicious. They entered the house and Malon sat down in a chair at the table. She made sure that Solo sat right next to her.

"Is...your...father home?" sniffled Solo, trying not to break into tears.

"No, he's out," replied Malon. "He won't be back until late tonight. I'm here alone." Malon leaned over and put her hand on Solo's shoulder, looking deep into her eyes. "Solo, tell me. What's wrong?" Solo shook her head silently. "Please I'm your friend. What are you hiding?"

"Do you promise...you won't tell anyone?" begged Solo.

"Sure, you can tell me anything." Solo reluctantly removed her hand from her right cheek, causing Malon to gasp in horror. "Dear gods! What happened to you?" There was a small cut in the middle of Solo's face with a small amount of blood oozing from it. What horrified Malon the most was the large red mark that covered nearly the whole right side of Solo's face. A purple bruise was already starting to form in the middle of her cheek, and it would only get bigger.

"I...he..." mumbled Solo, attempting to answer. But she couldn't take it anymore. Solo burst into tears and collapsed into Malon's arms, who hugged her gently. Solo wailed and cried while Malon tried to comfort her.

"Who did this to you?" asked Malon in a soothing, concerned voice.

Solo continued crying, but made an attempt at calming down. She took a few deep breaths and tried to talk. "He...Akuyo..." mumbled Solo.

"Your boyfriend did this?"

"He's not my boyfriend! I hate him!" shouted Solo, who began crying again.

"Did he hit you? 'Cause if he did I'll..."

"Yes," interrupted Solo.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Malon couldn't believe how anyone could want to hit Solo. She was so sweet and wonderful, and never did anything to hurt anyone.

Solo wiped the tears from her face and looked into Malon's caring eyes. Seeing those beautiful blue eyes made her feel calm and soothed. "We were having a picnic at the lake, and everything was fine. But then he...he told me he loved me and tried to kiss me. And then..." Solo sniffled again, but regained control. "But I pushed him away and told him that I didn't want to kiss him. I said that I didn't love him and that I just wanted to be his friend. Then he...he..."
Solo started crying again.

"He hit you," finished Malon. Solo nodded. Malon felt absolutely furious, but tried not to let it show. How could somebody hurt her little angel? She felt like finding this boy and wringing his neck until he turned purple.

"He was wearing a ring, and it cut me." Solo touched the cut on the side of her face.

"Stay there, let me help you with that," said Malon, standing up and walking over to the sink. She filled a bowl with water and took a clean cloth from the drawer. Malon walked back to the table and sat in front of Solo. She dipped the cloth in the cool water and gently cleaned the small wound on Solo's face. Solo winced as Malon touched the tender bruise on her cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll try to be more careful." Malon gently blotted at the wound until it was clean. "There, I'm done."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I thought Akuyo was a nice boy, what possessed him to hit you?"

Solo felt upset again, but didn't cry. Somehow, she felt secure talking to Malon. There was something about her voice that made Solo feel safe and calm. She felt like she could tell Malon anything. "When I told him I didn't love him," began Solo, "he call me a lying bitch. And then he backhanded me as hard as he could. He didn't even apologize, he just ran off. It's my fault. If I had just let him kiss me, none of this would've happened."

"No, it's not your fault! Don't ever think that what he did to you was your fault. You had every right not to let him kiss you. You don't have to let him do anything you don't want him to do. Akuyo was the one who was wrong; he hit you and he's gonna pay for it."

"No, please don't do anything," begged Solo. "I don't want to cause any more trouble. Besides, it's not like this hasn't happened before."

"You mean this has happened before?" asked Malon, feeling furious. "He hit you before?"

"No, not him," replied Solo. "But other people. Back when I was alone, I was always being kicked around. I remember a long time ago—it was after I first wandered into the castle village. I hid myself in the luggage of some carriage and I got out when we got to the village. It was a nice place. I spent most of my time in an alley. But then it started to get cold, and when winter came I always had to find a new place to hide so I could stay warm. Usually I could hide in a stable or something for most of the winter. That year I'd followed some guy home from the market, I knew that he owned a farm so I thought it would be a good idea. He lived on a huge farm outside Kakariko. I went inside his barn and stayed there for weeks. It was so much better than the alley I'd been sleeping in, and it was warm in there, too. He kept all the pigs in that barn, and I slept next to them to stay warm. The pigs were really nice; I think they liked me. And I had never had so much food in my whole life, at least while I was homeless. I actually had something to eat everyday. Every morning he'd bring in buckets full of the leftovers and scraps for the pigs. Sometimes it was spoiled food, but I really didn't care, considering I didn't have anything else to eat. Besides, you really can't taste the spoilage once you get used to it. It really was the best placed I'd ever stayed in. That was, until I got caught. He came in to move the pigs into another barn one day. And because the pigs were gone I had nowhere to hide. I remember the look on his face; I could tell he was a bad man. I tried hiding in the corner, but he walked up to me and grabbed me hard by the arm. He started yelling and cursing and asked me what I was doing in his barn. I told him I was cold and I needed somewhere to live because I had no home. I begged him to let me stay in his barn, but he just told me to shut up and punched me in the face. I remember how bad it hurt, I could barely open my mouth for days." Solo gently ran her fingers across the tender wound on her cheek. "This doesn't hurt at all."

"That's so terrible," said Malon, feeling like crying. Malon wished she knew who this other person was who assaulted Solo so long ago, then she could teach him a lesson. "How did you even survive if it was winter?"

"After he threw me out, I just went to the next farm over. The owner never found out I was there. But we don't need to talk about this now; that was all in the past. Please, don't do anything crazy to Akuyo. I don't want to cause any more trouble; I've been through enough."

"Fine, I don't want to do anything that'll upset you further." Malon didn't like it, but she obeyed Solo's wishes. She didn't want to make her more upset, Solo had been through enough. "Have you told Link about this?"

"No, I came straight here," replied Solo.

"Why didn't you tell him first? He's your brother, he needs to know."

"Because he would overreact. If Link found out, he would go and kill Akuyo. I came here because I knew I could trust you; I knew you wouldn't do anything crazy. Is it okay if I stay here for a while?"

"Sure, you can stay here as long as you want, I'm happy to have you here."

"You sure your father won't mind?"

"He won't mind at all," replied Malon. "He likes it when my friends come over."

"Malon...thank you for being there for me." Solo leaned over and hugged Malon. She felt so safe in her arms, and didn't want to let go. Malon just held Solo, and gently patted her on the back.

What is wrong with me? He was trying to defend me and my honor. Why did I blow up at him like that? It was like I was being possessed by something. I told him I hated him. Why did I say that? I don't hate him, I love him more than anything else in the world. What has gotten into me? I didn't mean to say that, I was just mad. But I wasn't mad at him, I wasn't mad at anyone; I was just mad. Why am I feeling like this? I can't forget the look on his face when I said that, that look of heartbreak and agony. It's haunting me. I told him I hated him. I can never forgive myself now. I've ruined his whole life because I let my emotions take over. He probably hates me now. He probably won't ever want to see me again. I drove him away when I needed him the most. Why was I so moody? I can't understand. I want to go hug him and tell him I love him, but he won't want to hear it now. Now I'm responsible for his sadness, I can't forgive myself for that. I want him to come back, I want to tell him I love him. I want to tell him I didn't mean to say that, and that I would never hate him. But I know he's stubborn, he believes everything I say. Now if I tell him I really love him and that I don't hate him, he'll get confused. Now he won't know if I'm telling the truth or not. He'll think I'm just humoring him. I've lost his trust and confidence, and I don't know how to get it back.

Impa was in her office completing another mountain of paperwork. Why did she have to have two jobs? She hated having to do paperwork and take care of the princess. She could make her secretary do all the work, but she didn't trust the secretary, who was a complete moron. Impa would have to find someone else. Impa let out a loud sigh of frustration. She wondered when Zelda would get back from her little shopping trip. Impa smiled to herself, amazed that Link could put up with Zelda. It was hard enough for Impa to raise her, and Link's life must be even harder. That girl always wanted new clothes, and she always insisted on dragging Link along with her.

Impa's musings were interrupted when she heard the loud slamming of a door come from outside her room. It sounded like it was coming from down the hall, maybe Zelda's room. Impa opened her door and walked down the hallway to Zelda's bedroom. She put her ear to the door and heard quiet noises coming from within. She knocked on the door. "Zelda, are you in there, honey?" asked Impa. Her only response were a few muffled groans. Impa knew instinctively that something must be wrong. She opened the door to see Zelda lying on her bed with her face buried in a pillow. Impa approached Zelda, hearing muffled sobs coming from her. Impa sat down on the bed next to Zelda and put a comforting hand on her. "Zelda, what's wrong?" asked Impa in a soothing voice.

The response was only more muffled crying and wailing. Zelda was completely ignoring her. Zelda only wanted to cry; she couldn't think of anything else to do. She felt like her whole life had just collapsed. She could feel Impa's concern, but didn't care. She didn't want anyone's pity.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" asked Impa with growing concern. Zelda turned her head on the side to look at Impa. Zelda still sobbed, and Impa was heartbroken at the sight of Zelda's tear-streaked face. "Honey, please, what's bothering you. Is it Link?" That was the only thing Impa could think of. However, she couldn't imagine how Link could do anything that would drive Zelda to tears. The mention of Link's name only made Zelda cry harder.

Zelda finally sat up and hugged Impa hard. She rested her head on Impa's shoulder and continued to cry. She had to get a grip on herself, she had to calm down so she could tell Impa what was wrong. Impa always knew how to solve her problems. "I...I..." choked Zelda, but she couldn't make any words come out. She felt so ashamed of herself. "I told Link." she sobbed.

"What honey? What did you tell Link?"

"I told him..." Zelda let go of Impa and sat on her bed. Impa saw the look of pain and suffering in Zelda's face, and almost wanted to cry herself. "He...he got into a fight."

"A fight?" asked Impa. That didn't sound like Link, he wasn't the type to be picking fights. "Some kids...were badmouthing me to him...and he got into a fight with them. And...he beat them up 'cause they pulled knives on him. And then I...I yelled at him. I yelled at him."

"Honey, it's okay, you were just upset. And I'm sure whatever punks provoked Link deserved what they got."

"I know...but I told him...I told him I hated him." Zelda fell into another bout of crying upon remembering how Link looked when she told him those words. Zelda cried loudly and Impa embraced her again. Impa rubbed her hand along Zelda's back, trying to soothe her.

"It's okay, honey," said Impa. "He knows you didn't mean it."

"No he doesn't!" sobbed Zelda. "He believes everything I say. And now he thinks I hate him. And he'll never want to see me again. I totally ruined everything. I don't deserve to live after what I did to him." Zelda wailed and cried, not because of her own sadness, but because of what she did to Link.

"Shh. Calm down, it's not as bad as you think. You might've upset him, but he's not going hate you because of it."

"Are you...sure?" asked Zelda, looking at Impa with a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure. You need to understand how boys think. He's probably very upset, and he'll probably cry for a while. But after he regains his composure, he'll begin to think of ways to fix the problem. That's how boys are: they're problem-solvers. He's going to think that he did something wrong and he's going to try to find a way to fix it."

""But he didn't do anything wrong; it was my fault."

"I know that, but that's not how boys think. He's going to think he did something wrong, and he's going to try to find a way to apologize. He'll probably come back here later today or tomorrow on his hands and knees begging for your forgiveness."

"But I don't want him to apologize, I should apologize."

"When he comes, you can tell him that. Just tell him that you didn't mean it and that it wasn't his fault. You just blew up for no reason and you didn't mean to take it out on him. Tell him that and he'll accept it."

"Can I go over there now?" asked Zelda. "I don't want him suffering; he's probably crying at home."

"He needs a little while to calm down," said Impa. "If he doesn't come to you tomorrow, then you can go to him. Just be patient, he'll be back."

"Okay," replied Zelda, hugging Impa once again. "Thank you for helping me. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"It's my job, sweetie," said Impa, kissing Zelda on the forehead. "You look tired, why don't you rest for a while or take a nap?"

"Okay, I feel a little worn out."

Impa stood up and got Zelda's nightgown from atop her dresser and threw it on top of the bed. Impa looked over Zelda's dress and made a disappointed noise. "Where did you get that dress?" asked Impa, looking at Zelda's almost-skimpy red dress. Zelda shrugged her shoulders.

"I bought it the other day. What do you think?" Zelda turned around gracefully and tried to show of the dress. She knew she was in trouble, but tried to act completely innocent.

""That dress looks a little...small to me. What ever possessed you to wear something like that?"

"I thought Link would like it."

"I'm sure he did," said Impa, wide-eyed. "You know, of course, that your father wouldn't approve of that dress."

"Yeah, I know. That was a big selling point," responded Zelda rebelliously.

Impa leaned over to whisper Zelda's ear. "I don't mind you wearing that, but I recommend that you don't let your father see you in it." She sat back to a normal distance. "I was quite rebellious when I was a child, and I did things like that. I did some stuff you wouldn't believe."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?" Zelda never saw Impa as the rebellious type. She always imagined her as an authority figure who always enforced the rules. Zelda couldn't even imagine her as a child.

"I'm not going tell you that any time soon. I don't want to give you any ideas." Zelda huffed. "Now you take a nap. We can straighten out your problems later." Zelda finally agreed and slipped into her nightgown. She got into bed and tried to relax. After giving Zelda a kiss on the forehead, Impa left the room. Impa was right, Zelda needed some sleep. The emotional turmoil left her feeling worn out and tired. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She hoped Impa was right about Link.

Saria made sure to wait a while before she carried out her plan. She would finish with her daily chores at home, and then she would do what she had been scheming all week. As much as she hated being alone, Saria had waited days for Link and Solo to both be gone at the same time. Saria took a bucket, sponge, some rags, and a feather duster from a cabinet in her house. Holding the cleaning utensils in her arms, Saria walked the short distance to Link's house. She was going to give his whole home a good scrubbing. It annoyed her so much that Link and Solo both left all of their clothes and possessions laying on the floor. They had a dresser and cabinets, why didn't they use them? Saria had been on Link's case for years to just tidy up once in a while, but he never listened. The only way Saria could satisfy her desire for neatness was to clean Link's house when he wasn't home. It always annoyed Link so much when she did that, and that was half the fun.

Saria climbed the ladder and stood on the porch for a moment. She made sure she'd brought all the materials, and when she was satisfied, Saria pushed through the curtain that covered the doorway and entered Link's house. Saria was startled to see that Link was home and sitting on his bed, causing Saria to drop the sponge and the duster. She carefully placed the water-filled bucket on the floor before she dropped that, too. "Link," said Saria in a shaky, surprised voice. "I didn't know you were here. I thought you were out with Zelda." Link made no attempt at responding. He just sat silently on his bed, staring into space. He had his legs pulled up to his chest with his head resting on his knees. "Link, are you okay?" asked Saria, slightly concerned. Link was like a statue, he didn't move or make a sound. The only hint that he was alive was his slow breathing and the occasional blinking of his eyes. "If you're having a problem, you can tell me about it." Saria grabbed a chair and pulled it next to the bed. "Link, you're scaring me." Link turned his head to look into Saria's eyes. She was almost frightened by the expression on his face; one of anguish, sadness, and pain. His face was streaked with tears, and his eyes were red and bloodshot. His eyes looked so empty and lifeless, it was as if there was no soul behind them.

Saria saw Link's lips move slightly, whispering something inaudible. Saria leaned closer to Link. "Talk louder, I can't hear you," said Saria in as calm a voice as she could.

Link swallowed and tried to moisten his lips. His mouth and throat were so dry, and his voice was hoarse from crying. He didn't feel like talking, but he couldn't let Saria sit there. "She hates me..." whispered Link, Saria barely able to hear him.

"What do you mean?" asked Saria.

Link looked at her like the answer was totally obvious and she was missing the point. "She told me she hated me."

"Who? Zelda?" That was the only person Saria could think of. Only Zelda saying something like that could make Link so utterly depressed and unresponsive. But that wasn't in Zelda's character; she loved Link more than life itself. She would never say that she hated Link, it had to be someone else.

Link sniffled and nearly slipped back into his trance. "She hates me," he whispered again.

"No, Zelda would never hate you. She loves you, you must've been mistaken."

"She said it. She told me. She wouldn't lie. She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," insisted Saria. "Maybe she was just upset about something." Saria had no idea what had happened, but knew it had to be something bad for Zelda to say that. Still, she wondered if there was some other explanation.

"Zelda said it. I must have done something wrong. I know I did. There were some guys at the market...they were making fun of her. I pushed the guy...he pushed me, and we got into a fight. I beat them all up, and Zelda got mad. She said she hated me." The tone of Link's voice and how he recalled the events gave Saria an eerie feeling. His voice was devoid of emotion, and he spoke only in a bland monotone.

Now Saria wondered what had gotten into Link. He wasn't the type of person who would beat people up. The boys he talked about must have really said something bad about Zelda for him to start a fight about it. But that didn't explain why Zelda said she hated Link, he was defending her. She should have thanked him. "That doesn't make any sense," said Saria. "You were defending her. What did they say that drove you to fight with them?"

"They." Link closed his eyes, fighting back tears. "They called her a whore." Link cried for a moment, the first sign of emotion that Saria had seen thus far. "She's nothing like they said. I didn't want to fight them, but they pulled knives on me. I had no choice. What if they had gone after Zelda?"

"I'm sure you did the right thing," comforted Saria. "You know those punks deserved it."

"I did something wrong. I made Zelda mad, I was wrong. But what they said...the things the called her...I couldn't let that go. She's nothing like they said. She's so wonderful, so smart, so kind, so beautiful; nothing like they said. She's the most breathtaking person I've ever met. She's so...perfect. She's perfect. It must've been my fault, she wouldn't do anything wrong."

"Link snap out of it," said Saria forcefully. "You have to get a grip on yourself. Zelda is not perfect, no one is."

"But she's perfect to me," insisted Link. "That's all that matters."

"Listen to me. You have to realize that Zelda is not perfect, and if you see her as that, you'll only end up crying. You can't see Zelda as perfect and infallible, because she isn't. She makes mistakes just like you and me."

"But it was my fault," insisted Link. "I made her mad, and I have to apologize. But she said she hated me, and I don't know what to do."

"Did you ever think that maybe she didn't mean what she said? People say things that they don't mean when they're mad. I'm sure she didn't mean it, she's probably more upset right now than you are."

"No she's not. She's a perfect angel, and she meant what she said. I'm surprised I didn't see it earlier. I'm nothing compared to her. I don't know why I bothered in the first place. A person as good as her, a princess, would never love a worthless peasant like me. I don't deserve her, she deserves someone better than me. I can't even begin to compare to her."

"What are you talking about?" asked Saria, almost shouting. She was fed up with Link's self-pity, she didn't want him destroying himself like this. "Don't talk like that! You know you're not nothing. If you think of Zelda as perfect, you're putting her on an unreachable pedestal. If you think of her as perfect, then you're bound to think less of yourself. You have to stop that. You have to see Zelda as what she is: a normal person. She is just like you and me, she makes mistakes and does stupid things. And you are not worthless compared to her. Everyone is just as good as everyone else, no one is better than anybody. Stop thinking that you're worthless. You are far from worthless. You're the kindest, most loving and sensitive boy I've ever met. Zelda is not perfect, and neither are you."

"Maybe she's not perfect," conceded Link. "But she's still wonderful. And I know I did something wrong. I have to apologize."

"Well, you do what you think is best. I'm sure that Zelda is feeling the same way. You have to go see her and things will work themselves out. You can't let one fight ruin your relationship. Just remember that sometimes people say things that they don't mean. Zelda was probably just in a bad mood, and she took it out on you."

"Why would she take it out on me?"

"Well, there's one reason I can think of," replied Saria. "She knows that you love her more than anything. Maybe she yelled at you because she knew you would love her no matter what she did. Listen to your feelings. You know how Zelda feels. Have you been paying attention to that, or have you just been wallowing in self-pity?"

Link thought about that. He knew Zelda's feelings, he could feel her emotions. Sometimes it seemed like they knew what each other was thinking. Why hadn't he thought of that? Somehow, deep inside, he knew that Zelda didn't mean what she had said. He was so devastated by her words that he never even bothered to think of her true feelings. It seemed like it always took a third person to point out problems such as this. Link looked at Saria and smiled. "Thank you. You always make me feel better." Link leaned over and gave Saria a hug. Saria enjoyed the feeling that she had made Link feel better. There was nothing in the world that could make Saria happier than she was at this moment. Link released his embrace and looked towards the doorway where Saria had left her cleaning supplies. "What were you going to do with that stuff?" he asked, pointing to the bucket and rags.

"I was..." mumbled Saria, blushing slightly. "I was going to clean your house. This place is a pig sty."

"Do we have to argue about this again? You don't live here, so you shouldn't have to worry about our mess."

"But it bugs me so much," whined Saria. She would have to secretly clean his house some other time. Link stood up and stretched, causing Saria to gasp. "What happened to your hands?" cried Saria, quickly taking hold of his hands. Both sides of each hand were raw and irritated. There were huge red streaks across his palms which were oozing blood. In between the large lacerations were dozens of tiny, pink scratches, a few dotted with blood. Link quickly pulled his hands away and closed his palms.

"Nothing happened...I..." he trailed off.

"You did what?" prodded Saria.

"After I got back, I tried to think of the best way to apologize to Zelda. I thought she might like it if I picked her some flowers." He pointed to his desk. In the corner was a jar stuffed with over a dozen beautiful red roses. Next to the jar lay a sharp paring knife and hundreds of tiny plant scrapings and thorns. "I scraped my hands while I was picking them. I had to cut the thorns off to make sure Zelda wouldn't hurt herself." He looked down at his bloody hands. "It doesn't hurt. It's just a scratch."

"It's far from a scratch. Your hands are all cut up. And don't try to be macho saying it doesn't hurt, because I know it does. Come here, let me help you." Saria took Link over to the bucket and sat him down in front of it. She took the sponge and dipped it in the warm water. She gently dabbed and cleaned Link's hands with the fresh water until all the blood had been washed away. She dried his hands with a clean rag and then released them. "There. At least your hands are clean."

"Thank you," said Link. "Thank you for everything."

"It's no problem. I can't stand seeing you upset, it hurts me. You put water in that jar, right?" Link nodded. "When are you going to give those to her?"

"A little later. I thought I'd wait a while. I think I'll go over tonight. I need a little time to collect my thoughts."

"That's fine, I'm sure everything will work out fine. I'll leave you alone for a while." Saria smiled and took her supplies, leaving Link's house. She felt proud of herself that she had the ability to bring Link out of such a deep depression. She was happy that he finally felt better. Hearing that Zelda had said she hated him broke her heart. But, for a moment, she wondered. She wondered if it was possible that maybe Zelda didn't like him, that maybe she herself would finally have a chance to confess her love to Link. But that thought had disappeared quickly. That was selfish, she didn't want Link to break up with Zelda. That would devastate him, and all Saria wanted was Link's happiness. She was glad he was happy again. She only needed to worry about his happiness, she again neglected her own feelings. She didn't care about them. Only Link mattered.