This was excruciating to write, but I finally got to it! I hope I don't disappoint...

HUGE THANKS to my awesome Beta for her help, you wouldn't read this today without her. =)

The sun rose lazily over the western mountains, slowly worming its way into a small house, unnoticed until a warm ray of sunshine fell upon the sleeping form of a young girl. The bleak light of early morning was enough to wake the slumbering teen. Eyes cracked open, revealing golden irises still laden with sleep as they swept over the small room before landing on the still-curtained window, which let in the single ray of light that had awoken her. Realization soon crept into her mind, frenzy quickly dispersing the fog of sleep that still lingered over her as she leapt out of her bed with a yelp, dressing as quickly as possible. The girl scrambled toward the ladder leading down into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Yana."

Her feet had barely touched the wooden floor of the kitchen when the voice had spoken, the tone playful and mocking. The girl bristled, her golden gaze lowering to her feet as she slowly faced the other occupant of the room.

"Hello, Dad."

The man rose from his chair, approaching his daughter with an indulgent smile. His hand landed on her shoulder, leading her towards the door as he spoke again.

"Come now – we are late enough as it is," he said, the light, teasing tone making her lips quirk upward as she finally shot a glance at her father's face, the smile she saw on his lips reassuring her that her small slip would be forgiven – for now. The cold morning wind bit at the exposed skin of her face as she stepped outside, following her father into the stables. The slumbering horses had woken by now, and a joyful whinny greeted them as they heaved the saddles from their resting places.

"Hey there, boy," Yana cooed, approaching a tall grey horse. "Ready for the day?"

The beast shook its head as if in answer, extending its neck towards her for a pat on the nose as she entered the stall. Throwing the saddle upon her horse's back she secured it tightly before placing the bridle upon its head, leading it outside where her father was already waiting.

"I've been thinking," he said as they climbed upon their horses. "You have been herding goats with me for six years now; I think it is time you do it by yourself."

A large smile bloomed Yana's lips as they spurred their horses into an easy trot, her mount easily falling in step with her father's aged mare. She had always known her father trusted her abilities, but to hear him say it made her heart swell with pride.

"Thank you, Dad," she said.

"You're sixteen now," the man said as the horses took their first steps into the still slumbering village. "Although it hurts me just to say it, you are growing up, and becoming an adult. I believe it is time for you to have responsibilities."

She nodded, and they rode on in silence, soon reaching the ranch. Father and daughter were surprised to see a figure there, waiting before the closed gates.

"Link, Yana! There you are, finally," the figure said, turning to face them. "I didn't think tardiness was a family trait."

"It seems you were wrong, Fado," Link answered with a smirk, turning to Yana with eyes sparkling with fatherly pride.

"I decided to let her herd the goats alone today," Link continued. "After all, when I get as old as you, Fado, someone will have to take over for me."

Yana laughed at Fado's slightly disgruntled expression, although the small smile he wore told her he was quite amused too.

"Come on now, before I get insulted again," he said with a smile. "Those scamps won't herd themselves!"

As the two men pulled the gate open before her, Yana spurred her horse into a gallop, the grazing goats raising their heads at her arrival. As she fell into the familiarity of her work, she steered her horse left and right, expertly leading the goats into their shed. When finally the last beast had found its way into the building, she eased her mount into a trot as she led it back toward the gates. She could see her father smiling proudly as he opened the gate for her once more.

"I truly have nothing left to show you," Link said as she stopped next to him. "I might just retire now and let you take over the ranch!"

She laughed at that, as she knew her father was nowhere near ready to give up one of the things that brought him daily happiness.

"You should go to the spring now," he said. "You deserve a small break."

"But… the goats…" she started.

He raised his hand, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"I may be old, but I can still manage this," he said, his eyes twinkling with good humour. "Go, and take your time."

She smiled gratefully as she spurred her horse, waving at her father until he was out of sight. The villagers had now woken, and children ran up to her as their parents waved from the doorstep, smells of breakfast coming from the small houses of the village she called home. With a contented sigh she led her horse into the forest, the scents and sounds immediately overwhelming her. When she finally reached the spring, she slid off her horse's back, removing its saddle before closing the gates behind her. As much as she liked the people she considered to be her family, she also liked a bit of silence once in a while. The spring provided exactly what she needed, with its quiet cascade and the wind shaking the leaves the only sounds to be heard. Toeing off her boots, she led her horse into the spring, running her hand over its silvery coat.

The creak of the gates opening had her sighing before turning around, ready to greet the villager who had come to find her despite her disappointment in not being left alone. To her surprise, it was not someone she knew who had pushed the gate open, but a large hooded figure, taller than anyone she had ever seen. A bag was hanging from their shoulder, and their cloak was covered in dirt and splattered with mud.

They recoiled at the sight of her, taking a half-step back.

"Pardon me," they said, the deep, masculine voice waking a distant echo in her mind. "I did not think I would find anyone here. I will leave immediately, if that is your wish."

He was turning around to depart when she spoke, and he stilled.

"Please, Sir, stay," Yana said. "It's not my place to prevent you from enjoying the spring. What brings you here?"

He slowly stepped closer to the water before sitting down on the sand, his imposing metal boots inches from the crystal-clear water as he linked his gloved hands before him.

"I am merely seeking a bit of rest from the hardships of the road," he answered, the aristocratic drawl of his voice not lost upon her.

"You're a traveler, then?" she asked. "Where are you going?"

"Wherever the wind will take me," he answered enigmatically. She could feel the intensity of his gaze as he looked her over. "But you… Surely you must also be a traveler? Where do you come from?"

She paused, her hand stilling upon her horse's neck as she stared back at him. The hood still covered his head, shielding his face from her eyes, and the tone of his voice gave nothing away but curiosity. Although she had never seen him before, something inside her told her she could trust him.

"I've lived here all my life," she answered.

"Yet you do not belong here," he immediately replied.

Perhaps she should have been annoyed. Perhaps she should have asked him to leave at his bold statement. But the answer blurted out of her mouth before she could hold it back.

"I know."

And it was true. She had understood long ago that she was not truly part of the world she lived in, her black skin and flaming red hair setting her apart from her father and the other villagers, with their pale complexion and blonde hair.

"I have come to accept it," she added with a shrug.

"Have you?" he said, and in his voice she thought she could hear the slightest hint of malice.

She dismissed it as a trick of her mind as she answered, turning back to her horse:

"Yes. I'm happy here with my father. I wouldn't have it any other way," she said with conviction.

Had she been looking at him, she would have noticed the quiver of his hands as she pronounced the word 'father'. He quickly mastered himself, however, and spoke again without missing a beat.

"I see," he whispered as she turned to look at him.

"They accept me," she said.

She thought she heard a dark, harsh chuckle but the man spoke again, preventing her from dwelling on it.

"Do they?"

"All of them are like family to me," Yana replied.

Telling her story to this man was oddly easy. She felt as if she had known him, long ago, and that they were old friends finally reunited. The words came easily, without the restraints she would have otherwise shown. She didn't see his hands ball into fists as they shook with barely contained fury.

"Are you truly so naïve?" he spat the words out as if they were poison. The tone startled her, and she turned to look at him.

"How dare…" she began, her temper getting the better of her.

"You should know Hylians never accept anyone who is different," he cut her off, and when she made to leave he stood, effectively caging her inside the spring with his large frame. "To them, you are an outsider, a stranger, a savage. They will not show it, but you secretly disgust them. They will smile by day and curse by night, wishing for you to leave their lives every time they see you as they treat you as a friend. You will think yourself accepted but they will crush you and leave you in the dirt. If you have the unfortunate chance of still being able to stand once they kicked you down, they will do it again, and again, and again, until you can no longer breathe, until you can no longer live. Yes, Hylians truly are clever deceivers. They will help you in time of war, and stab you in the back in time of peace. Because to them, you are nothing more than a beast."

She knew she should have been angry. She knew she should have protested, yelled, fought. But his words had somehow rung true, a terrible truth she had been trying to avoid since she was old enough to understand that she was not a part of them, that her skin somehow branded her to be something less, something vile that none of them wanted to touch or get too close to. The truthful echo made her stay silent as he turned away, hoisting his bag up upon his shoulder.

"You may not believe me now but, trust me, by tomorrow, you will."

She watched him leave, and he had long since disappeared when she finally spoke, more to herself than to his lingering presence, three words she knew were weak and meaningless.

"You are wrong."

It was a long time before she returned to the village, and when she did, the blazing light of the setting sun gave a fiery gleam to the wooden houses of the place she had considered her home for as long as she could remember. The strange man's words echoed endlessly inside her head, however, as she walked next to her horse, and she noticed things she had seen countless times before, but that she had always dismissed as tricks of her imagination: a smile that didn't quite reach Talo's eyes as he waved at her, Beth gripping her son's hand tighter to prevent the boy from running to her as they walked by with a smile, the whispers of Colin's twins when they thought she was out of earshot (or the concealed contempt in Malo's gaze as he watched her from his shop's doorstep.

And so with each step she took to return home she felt her heart break little by little as she realized the stranger's words to be true. When she finally arrived at the lonely house in the woods, the sun had long since set and, as she led her horse into the stables, she heard footsteps behind her. She did not turn around as the footsteps stopped next to the stall she was in, instead removing her horse's saddle without a word.

"Where were you?" Link asked. "I was worried."

She did not answer, trying to keep her temper in check. Anger and sadness were swirling inside of her, and she wanted to lash out and scream, but knew it would amount to nothing. So she kept silent, keeping her face unreadable as she turned to her father, intent on pushing past him to leave. But as she took her first steps toward him, he extended his arms on either side of him, effectively preventing her from leaving as his frame now filled the narrow passageway. They stood there for a long time, a defying gleam in Yana's eyes as she stared into Link's calm blue gaze. He did the same, and was appalled by what he saw in her eyes: hurt, anger, sadness and betrayal boiled beneath the gold of her irises, threatening to spill out like an uncontrollable river. But he could also see so many unanswered questions that he sighed, motioning to the stack of hay behind her, all inquiries about her day forgotten.

"We should sit down," he said, his tone firm enough to not leave any room for argument, but not so much as to provoke her.

But Yana did not move, her body obstinately rigid and Link sighed again, understanding she would not move. He had expected this, as the usually cheerful and easygoing girl he considered as his daughter had always had a darker side to her that made her stubborn and quick to anger. He slowly lowered his still outstretched arms, placing a hand on her shoulder. Although she flinched, she did not try to flee.

"I know you have questions," he said. "Our conversation will probably be a very long one, so I suggest we sit down."

There was a moment of silence before she finally complied, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. She was still silent as she sat in they both sat in the hay, and he patiently waited for her to speak.

"I've always wondered who I really am," she finally said, and her first words alone were enough to make his skin crawl with the prospect of the question that would inevitably come. "I hope you did not expect me to blindly believe I belonged amongst you all, with my black skin and red hair. Throughout the years I've pieced a story together from whispered rumours and speculations. I heard from the travelers passing through the village. You taught me to ignore them, but I simply couldn't."

There was an edge to her voice that told him she was wrestling with herself to rein in her anger, but despite her apparent calm there was still the slightest hint of desperation in her voice when she next spoke:

"The story I've heard is one of sin and lust, the story of a child born in shame from two beings who should never have been together. So please, answer me, and tell me: who am I?"

Link averted his eyes. Her last words had been those of a lost, desperate being, and he could not bear to look at her now, afraid of what he might see on her face. He had always feared to hear these words, although he knew the day where she would want to know the true story would inevitably come. And although he had long since known she would ask, he still did not know what he would say to her.

Yana mistook his silence for a rebuttal, and she scowled, half-rising as the last string keeping her ire from spilling out finally snapped. Her mouth was already open, ready to let out all that she had been keeping bottled inside for so long, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself to shout, to fight, to say everything she now wanted to spit in ever villager's face…

"You are the daughter of the princess Zelda and of the Dark Lord Ganondorf."

He had spoken quickly and clinically upon seeing her rise, without caution or shame. He watched as she slowly sat back down, seemingly gasping for air as her hand covered her mouth, trying to grasp what Link had just said. Everyone in Hyrule of course knew who the two were, Zelda a symbol of courage and wisdom as she prevented the kingdom from falling entirely under her husband's influence, and Ganondorf, the embodiment of evil and greed as she took everything he could. It was said he had killed his wife before confronting the legendary hero, as a last act of pure malice before being defeated.

It was common knowledge that the princess had borne a child before her death. What had happened to that child was also equally widely known.

"You're lying," Yana whispered, anger and disbelief lacing her every word. "The child was stillborn. Everyone knows the story."

"They know only what they have been told," Link answered quickly, seeking to quell the fire he saw rise within her. "And anyone who knew the truth still believes you died that day, for they never saw you again. The people of our village, along with one other outsider, are the only ones who know you are alive."

Her eyes shifted from his face to her lap, desperately trying to understand as admittance slowly made its way into her mind.

"Why did you and the others want me?" she asked, looking back up at him.

It was his turn to look away, lowering his head so that his hair prevented her from seeing his pained expression. He finally spoke, drowning in his own thoughts and memories:

"They did not. I adopted and protected you when the whole world wanted you dead. They finally respected my wishes for you to stay, but only because-"

He seemed to realize what he was saying then, and bit back his words, hoping she would not push the issue, but knowing she would as he felt the weight of her gaze on the back of his head. And even though her already broken heart had shattered into a thousand pieces upon learning that the people she loved and considered her extended family had never wanted her here in the first place, she asked the final question, the one she knew would unveil the truth.

"Why?" she breathed. "Why did they accept me?"

She was not afraid of the pain knowing the truth would cause her, and she thought she had already heard the worst. But nothing could have prepared her from what she saw in Link's eyes as he looked up at her again, for she had never thought so much guilt could be held in a single person's gaze before she saw it gleaming in her father's eyes, slowly eating away at his soul.

"Because," he began slowly. "I am the hero of legends. I am the one who killed your parents."

And was a long and tedious story, but it needed to be told, and when Link was done they both sat back in the hay, exhausted. From father and daughter, they had become strangers in a matter of hours, and although he still held the foolish hope that she may someday forgive him and that everything would then go back to the way it was, he knew it could never be.

The rustle of fabric next to him made him look at the young woman as she rose, and she turned to him, her mouth opening to speak but not a single word crossing her lips, the silence between them becoming heavier with each passing moment. He was relieved by what he saw in her eyes: hurt, betrayal, pity, and questions, so many questions that he somehow knew she would never have all of them answered, but he did not see hatred, and for that he was proud of her. He feared that the moment she would let herself be consumed by hate, it would also be the moment she would be nothing more than a beast, and he prayed to the goddesses for that to never happen.

"I don't know what I should do now."

Her voice had been weak from hours of silently listening to him, uncertainty but also resolve still apparent in her tone. Link stood, not daring to engulf her in a hug like he would have done just a few hours before. His own voice shook with concealed sadness as he spoke:

"Whatever you decide, I will respect your choice."

He wanted to say more, would have begged for her to stay if he had to, but knew that there was no choice but for them to part. Yana looked at him, and for the first time she saw him as he really was: a battered warrior, haunted by memories of a time long since passed, guilt and shame consuming him despite his deeds. For that, and for the love he had selflessly bestowed upon her for all these years, she could not hate him, but could neither stay with him, the weight of his past too much for either for either of them to bear.

He hesitantly grabbed her hand, giving a slight squeeze before releasing it and turning away, leaving her alone in the stables. Both knew there would be no farewells between them. Yana waited until she heard the door of the house closing behind his back before leaving the stables herself, taking a second to take a deep breath before making her way into the forest. Her thoughts and her contradictory feelings roared inside her head in a deafening maelstrom. With each step she took she could feel the world she had built for herself for the past sixteen years crumbling around her as every piece of everything she had learned fell into place: She had thought she had been the result of a scandalous love affair adopted by a farmer when her parents didn't want her, only to find she was in fact the child of the adored princess of Hyrule and her nemesis, the Dark Lord Ganondorf.

And although she knew she should, she could not bring herself to hate him. Link's story had made it clear Ganondorf was no hero, but she still wondered what kind of man he was, and if he had another, nobler goal than greed for taking over Hyrule like he had done. But more than anything, she could not hate him for he was just like her. What she had seen earlier that day had only confirmed what the strange man had told her: although those people knew she was a kind and joyful soul, they still could not ignore the color of her skin, and that mere fact made them hate her. Because she was the other, the stranger, that reminded them they were not alone. She did not belong to their world.

And for that, she would gladly disappear from their lives.

When Yana arrived at the spring, the moon was a perfect silvery globe right above her, marking the beginning of a new day as clocks everywhere struck midnight.

"I knew you would come."

The familiar voice made her turn around and she was not surprised. Yana smiled, although it was a bitter, painful smile.

"You were right," she said. "I've doubted you, and had my heart ripped apart. What should I do now? I have nowhere else to go."

He stepped forward then, extending a gloveless hand toward her. She stared at it before placing her hand in his, black skin against black skin, and he pushed the hood off his face, revealing golden eyes and red hair. A fanged smile appeared on his lips, and Ganondorf spoke.

"Then come."

It is over. The longest story I've ever written is over. *faints*

THANK YOU ALL for reading and bearing with me for the delays between chapters, and especially for this one.

As this is the last official chapter, I will allow myself to ask for reviews - so please leave a review and, if you don't, well... have a good day anyway!