I'm incredibly, desperately, and severely sorry for not updating. It just… totally slipped my mind. It wasn't until I looked back at my fanfictions that I realized that it's been eleven months since I last updated!

So now, I've kicked my ass back into gear.

I beg of your mercy. T.T;

In this chapter, there will be drama and something else for my reviewers! ;o

Chapter Thirteen: Upon the Blackest Hour

"I hate to say it, but it feels nice to be back."

Talim turned her head to look back at Link and nodded in agreement, smiling as she did so. Talim and Link had been in quite a bit of a problem for the past week. Link had lost his hat, and with his ears revealed he couldn't travel into town. Thus leaving Talim to head into the closest city to get money and buy the proper materials to make a new spiffy green lump for Link's head. However going into a fighting competition was out of the question as Talim had lost her elbow blades when she and Link had been struggling against the tornado that had sucked them away including all of their money. Everything except for the Master Sword had been lost. In the end they managed, and now Link was finally able to venture into the city after having to hide inside of the forest.

"'Hate to say it'?" Talim repeated as she looked back at Link with a tilted head.

"Yeah, normally I don't like all of the crowdy streets but being near people again is good."

Talim nodded and smiled in response, chuckling to herself as Link reached for his purse and opened it to look at the money he'd just won for the tournament he was just leaving from. This would be more than enough to buy what they wanted- although he couldn't think of any place that would have something close to Talim's elbow blades. Those were… unique. If they found it it'd be by luck.

For the next day, the pair went around searching for what supplies they needed, bargaining, battling over cheaper prices, and then finding a room in the inn at the end. At dawn the pair left, concluding that they would have to find another place to replace Talim's lost weapons, and took one of the less traveled roads from the city. Link couldn't help but sigh to himself: It felt good to be able to be back on the road again. Talim seemed happy as well, and the two couldn't help but smile at each other for a while as they walked.

But at the same time a dark thought lingered over the pair. Known by both and yet not spoken at all. It was probably better that way: It would be best not to let anything occur that might make either or both of them less confident. In fact, this was the entire reason for why they didn't say anything. But it was only a matter of time, as a week later when Talim and Link were laying down underneath the stars together one of them finally spoke about the hidden subject.

"Link, what do you think happened to Maxi and the others?" Talim asked quietly one night, sensing that the other was awake.

"…I… don't know." The elf responded slowly, taking his time to answer her question. It was almost the middle of the night and the pair should be asleep, but they had each been kept awake by their own personal thoughts.

"Magic is dangerous?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think it could've… hurt them?"

Link made a soft sigh before he rolled over in his blanket, turning his head to look up into Talim's soft pearl black eyes. Despite the fact that her eyes were a dark brown, her irises tended to remind him of Lake Hylia. The pitched depths of jet, like a swallowing mouth ready to devour what dared to try and swim in the darkened parts of its waters. But the massive lake linked to the domain of the Zora was also soft and beautiful, especially during the night of a full moon. When the beams from the watchful eyes of the goddesses swept down and showered themselves across the lake's surface, like frozen, gorgeous fragile ice. And beneath is lay a blanket, giving the lake the image of a house smothered in frost with the beckoning windows of black echoing warmth beneath….

"Link?"

"…Uh, what?" The elf blinked at her voice, his eyes bouncing back open. Had he fallen asleep? Or was he just daydreaming?

"The magic… do you think it could have hurt them?"

"I'm not sure." He swallowed to himself to clear his throat before speaking again. "Magic is… tricky. It kind of… well, I used to have a spell called Din's Fire. When I would use it, it would protect me but badly damage any fiends, or just beings, that were nearby…. Our magic had protected us… but I don't know if it harmed everything on the outside or protected it too."

Talim was silent for a while before she let an almost lonely, empty sigh. She moved, rolling onto her side and pulling herself underneath her covers to where only the midnight tendrils of her hair could be seen spilling out over the frosted grass like liquid. Link's eyes remained locked on her, his sharp ears listening to the sound of her breathing and knowing from it that the shaman was still awake.

Why couldn't they just sleep?

"Talim-"

"Link, I don't want to, to…."

"Talim? What's wrong?" Link sat up from his blanket, pushing it off of himself and quickly going over to where she was laying. He reached out and pulled away her blanket, thinking that something might be crawling in there, until he saw the glassy look of her cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

"I… I don't want to…." Talim repeated as she shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders quivered for a few seconds, Link's hand stilling it as it found its way there.

"You don't wanna what?"

"Hurt. Hurt… people." She surrendered as she shook her head and removed her hands from her face. "I destroyed my people… my family, a-and then Maxi and Siegfried…." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes while Link reached out and grabbed her. She turned her head and looked at him with soft reddened eyes. For a few moments they just looked at each other before Link wrapped his arms around her more fully, pulling her small torso up against his.

"You don't." He promised softly, feeling the warmth of her tears as they rolled down the side of his neck. He could sense Talim wanting to say yes or but, however she remained silent of words and instead mutely cried into his skin.

Once Talim had finished he felt her hand on his neck, trying to wipe away some of the tears that were stained there. He smiled and leaned back, rubbing his neck with his sleeve so she wouldn't have to any longer while supporting her with one arm around her back.

"You don't." He repeated again in a reassuring tone as he gently lowered back down.

"I'm happy that someone thinks so." Talim stated underneath her breath, although loud enough for Link to hear.

Then he looked up, into the eyes that held the stilled depths of the great Lake Hylia but also its peace. The golden parts that were melted beneath, mixed there beneath the eyelashes that framed her eyes.

And then he bent down, his own bright sky eyes locking with hers before they closed and the soft feel of Talim's lips pressed against his the only thing running through his mind. And then they broke apart, Talim's smiling face greeting him when he opened his eyes again.

"Your face is red." Talim teased, making the elf's ears twitch.

"I…." Link's word stumbled off, tripping on his word as he swallowed again. He wanted to move back, because he knew that his face was a bright cherry red. That and the fact that he was embarrassed that his lips were so dry.

"Thank you." Talim purred as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Link's neck, pulling him down. The elf seemed to remain frozen on the ground for a few seconds before he moved, rolling over closer to her. Talim seemed to giggle underneath her breath before she tugged her blanket down, Link accepting and slipping in down beside her.

"L-Link… i-i-it's fr-freezing…." Zelda shivered, huddled up against the side of the wall. Link himself was sitting across from her, trying to keep warm in the same fashion that she was.

"Th-th-the w-w-walls," Link chattered in staccato as he moved himself over to where his sister was, then settling down beside her. He lifted his arm and she cuddled beneath it, the queen shuddering against the chill. "S-suck the w-w-warmth out-t-t of yo-you…." Being beside each other would restore warmth, but he didn't have to say anything for Zelda to understand. She was, after all, a genius and didn't need her little brother to start informing her about things that she considered to be common sense.

The memory filtered its way into his mind. The time when he and Zelda had gotten stuck together at a blizzard when they had been climbing together to go visit the Gorons. They'd found a cave and ended up huddling against each other for warmth, Zelda tapping into her magic as well.

But Talim wasn't his sister, so why was he thinking about that?

And then he released it: Warmth.

…He felt… the warmth. The warmth of someone else being beside him, like his sister. He felt as if he was… at home.

Well, I hoped that the chapter didn't bore you too much! As you can tell I'm a lot wordier than I was before, and I'm more serious when writing. So, to help lighten things, I had Talim tease Link before slipping that little memory in to make the impact of the omega-fluff even more power. Did it affect you at all/3

And, I had to end it at four pages because it's 12:22 A.M. and I REALLY have to get to sleep because I have a test at school tomorrow. XD Also, I promise that the next chapter will have some lighter stuff in it… of course, your reviews will decide the next chapter! ;)

Read and review!

So Until Next Time,

CrypticElf...